Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong. Do everything in love. 1 Corinthians 16:13-14
Recently I had the opportunity to share with a group of Junior High and High School boys on the topic of Biblical manhood. As I prepped for my lesson, this verse from 1 Corinthians came up in one of my searches. As I meditated on it, I loved the simplicity of it being short and to the point, usually two things you need when sharing with adolescent boys! As I dwelled on it further, the depth of how it could apply in my own life and the lives of others became evident. I want to share two takeaways with you.
1. You and I each fight a daily battle in our personal lives and in our work at ABCS. Too often we are caught flatfooted for battle because we haven’t prepared and made ready the guard. Maybe we have grown lax in our Bible reading, or maybe genuine community with others is not a priority. It is hard to be vulnerable and accountable to others, so many times our alternative is to shrink away into isolation. We may claim we are involved in our churches because we are there once or twice a week, but are you pursuing active discipleship? I encourage you today to take stock of where you stand in your relationship with Christ. Are you on guard ready for the battle? Have you refreshed your soul with genuine worship and pursuit of our Savior so that your faith may be strengthened?
2. Second, in today’s world we are bombarded with extremes. Extreme politics (far right vs. far left), extreme examples of parenting (aggressive/authoritative vs. passive/complacent) and extreme views of our own Christian faith (legalism vs. everything goes because grace abounds). Extremes can get us in hot water quickly. What I liked about this verse is it exhorts the reader to very clear actions, but in practicing these actions all things should be done in love. If we are strong to the point of steamrolling others to have our point be heard, that is not doing everything in love. But in not addressing certain issues of the heart because we do not want to offend or we think the individual will not love us in the same way, that is not being courageous and strong. I believe the Holy Spirit provides the discernment we need on how to show love through our actions, but it takes practice. I encourage you today to not live on one of the extremes but pursue action through love that will point others to the hope of Jesus.
-David Trenbeath, Central Region Program Admin