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09/18/18 - 1Thess 3


Sep 18, 2018

May God strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of Jesus when He returns.  1Thess 3:13

The strong heart is one that has the courage to live holy for Jesus.

The World’s Strongest Man competition happens at the end of March every year in Venice Beach.  Men from various countries compete in grueling events that involve lifting heavy weights, moving objects, showing agility, and outlasting their foes.  It is won by the person who competes best in all of the events, tallying the most points in the competition.  In 2014, Zydrunas Savickas won for the 4th time, an amazing record in itself.

Unfortunately, as strong as Zydrunas is, the physical strength he demonstrated does not make him the strongest man in the world.  There is something that takes much more strength than weights and objects.  The strongest people in the world demonstrate it through a totally different challenge than what is exhibited on Venice Beach in March.  That’s because the event that requires the greatest strength in the world is not a physical event … it’s a spiritual one.  The STRONGEST people are those that stand against the culture’s unholy temptations and live a holy life.

Few people survive this competition.  Many slip and fall under its weight.  Some quit and never try.  The strength required to be holy is far greater than any physical or mental strength a man has ever had.  That’s why it takes a lifetime of training.  Without work on the soul, we are doomed to be weaklings and quitters.

The ironic thing is … people weak in holiness are good at calling the holy ones ‘weak-minded’!  Somehow, the world’s system promotes physical power, mental bullying or social prominence as signs of power over volitional fortitude.  It’s almost comical they would call Christians weak … since they have proven their own lack of a righteous backbone in their sinful lifestyles.

Sadly, I have been one of those weak-minded people.  Every time I willfully sin, it’s about choosing the weak way out of holy living.  Every cut-down or criticism of someone shows my own lack of spiritual backbone.  It’s pretty easy to claim to be strong, but I show my true stripes in the lifestyle I live … and you do too.

Choose to be STRONG today!  Make the holy decision!  Exercise your volitional muscles, and work out the strength of your character.  Stop listening to weak-willed people tell you that holiness is weakness.  Quite the opposite – your holiness is proof of your strength!

Who knows … you might just discover you’re the strongest person in the World!  (Or maybe you’ll be the strongest person in your family, which will help them be strong too.)

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