Finally my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Ephesians 6:10
As I worked out on the basic exercise machines in the training centre, I would often watch two of the men who were training in the advanced section of the centre. The equipment they were using was far heavier and required much more strength to operate than the equipment that I was working with. These men had huge, muscled bodies, and they pushed those bodies to extreme levels as they challenged each other. They were not content to reach a certain level of achievement, but every day they sought to exceed the amount of weight they had lifted, pushed, pulled, pressed, and dragged the day before. At a physical level, they were trying to do what the apostle Paul is asking us to do spiritually in today’s text.
The little expression ‘be strong’ comes from a Greek word that means not only to be strong, but to also be continually increasing in strength. At the physical level, there is obviously a point at which it is impossible to become stronger. Those men in the gym would come to a day when yesterday’s achievement would be impossible to exceed. But our text reminds us that there is no such ceiling when it comes to our spiritual capabilities. That is because our spiritual strength does not come from ourselves, but from the Lord. Our strength is finite, and, compared to his, very small, But He is not only strong and mighty, but He is also almighty. Since ‘the power of His might’ is infinite, there is no limit to what we can achieve in terms of our spiritual strength.
The chapter in which our text is found describes the preparation that we as Christians need for the spiritual warfare into which our salvation has brought us. When God saved us, He did not automatically infuse us with all of the power and abilities that we need for this warfare. Just as soldiers in any military train extensively for battle, so too God has extensive training in mind for us. Studying the Word of God, witnessing for our Lord, participating in all of the Assembly meetings, all of these will help us to build up our spiritual strength, because they will help us to know more about the Lord Who desires that we would be strong in the power of His might.
There are battles coming. Our ability to stand in those battles will depend on whether we have learned to become stronger in the Lord. -Jim MacIntosh