Strength

Strength, something all men want. Not all will admit it, but it's part of who we are as men. All of us want to be seen as strong. Some put up a front that's all for show, hoping that no one will see through the act. But those with real strength don't don't need to flaunt it, it isn't something they boisterously announce to the world, but something that comes from trial and identity.

One of, if not thee, greatest movie quotes ever comes from Gladiator. "My name is Maximus Decimus Meridius, Commander of the Armies of the North, General of the Felix Legions, loyal servant to the true emperor, Marcus Aurelius. Father to a murdered son, husband to a murdered wife. And I will have my vengeance, in this life or the next."

If you've seen the movie you know the context. The Emperor of Rome is killed by his jealous, insecure, power hungry, son after he is told that Maximus, a loved and respected General, will be given power to return Rome to a republic. To cover it up he orders Maximus to be executed, but the warrior escapes. After he finds his wife and son murdered he is captured by slave traders and sold as a gladiator.

He becomes a champion and ends up fighting before the new Emperor in the Coliseum. After winning a battle that they shouldn't have, the Emperor wants to meet the new champion. And when he comes face to face with the man he thought was dead we see strength tear down the front of the false Emperor. A man who knows who he is, who has fought and won battles that have given him the confidence that only comes form overcoming trials, states his name and stares down a cowardly impostor. His confidence, his strength, comes from his identity, and it is something that no one can take away from him.

For the man of God, the identity comes from the relationship we have with God in Christ. This identity gives us true strength that no one can take away. In Christ we know that we belong to God. No matter what we go through, nothing will separate us from God. Paul said in Philippians 4.13, "I can do all things through Him who strengthens me." Paul knew that no matter what he faced in life, he had Christ with him. There was nothing he couldn't endure because everything he went through was with Christ. And everything Paul went through helped to mold him more into Christlikeness.

That is true strength, not confidence in our own abilities, but confidence in Christ. Our identity is not found in our career, marriage, or accomplishments, but in our identity in Christ. The man of God is strong because he is surrendered to God. His trust is fully in God. His identity is rooted in the fact that he is a son of God. That is strength.

"The Lord is my strength and song, and He has become my salvation; this is my God, and I will praise Him; my father’s God, and I will extol Him." Exodus 15.2

"The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him, and I am helped; therefore my heart exults, and with my song I shall thank Him." Psalm 28.7

"But the salvation of the righteous is from the Lord; He is their strength in time of trouble." Psalm 37.39

"Seek the Lord and His strength; seek His face continually." Psalm 105.4

"The Lord is my strength and song, and He has become my salvation." Psalm 118.14

"Behold, God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid; for the Lord God is my strength and song, and He has become my salvation." Isaiah 12.2

"Yet those who wait for the Lord Will gain new strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary." Isaiah 40.31

To God alone be the Glory!

Strength and Honor