“Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong. Let all that you do be done with love.” ~ 1 Corinthians 16:13-14, NKJV
In the King James, the injunction "be brave," is translated, "quit you like men." Here Paul is linking the qualities of power (quit ye like men!) and love (that combination being rather counter-intuitive today). As he closes his epistle to the Corinthians, he urges them towards very soldierly virtues: watchfulness, steadfastness, bravery, and strength. Yet at the same time, he also exhorts them to align everything they do - including watching, being steadfast, being brave, and being strong - with the priorities of love. Our example is, as always, Christ Himself. On the cross He demonstrated both the heart of a warrior (quit ye like men!) and the heart of love. He acquitted Himself as a soldier in that He submitted Himself totally to His Father's will; endured well to the end the ordeal that was laid upon Him; trusted the Lord completely for all that He needed; faced the battles He fought without faintness or cowardliness; He protected those under Him; He completed His mission. He acquitted Himself in love in that His whole reason for going to the cross was His love for His Father, and His great love for us; when He opened His mouth, He was caring for His mother, speaking salvation to the thief next to Him, speaking the truth, or reaching out to those who were abusing Him; He again protected those under Him; He healed one of those who came to take Him into custody; and so much more. Jesus is the perfect example, the epitome of these two verses. To be like Him, we do as He did - depend totally on the Lord and let His Spirit do the work rather than striving to accomplish it ourselves. Our strength is pitiful. It has to be God's if we are to answer Paul's exhortations. Through His Spirit in us, the love and the strength of Jesus (quit ye like men!) are also ours. May we live them both out in the world.
by Rebecca...
