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13 Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong. 14 Do everything in love. 1 Cor. 16:13-14 NIV
A Passage to Live By
What a powerful passage containing two verses and five commands.
Be On Guard
Firstly, be on your guard. The world will throw stumbling blocks in your path.
Temptations and sin will surround you.
However, you are a child of God if you have received Christ Jesus as your Savior and confessed your sins to God asking for forgiveness through Jesus. As such you are told to be on your guard.
Be vigilant, be faithful, be guarding your faith and your heart.
Stand Firm in Your Faith
Secondly, we are told to stand firm in the faith.
Therefore, no wavering for us.
No now and then, part-time Christians here.
Therefore, this is for the devoted, on-fire, born-again believers who are standing firm in their faith.
Be like them.
Have Courage
Being courageous is our next admonition.
God tells us 365 times not to be afraid in Scripture.
Be filled with His strength and go in His power. Without Him, we can do nothing.
Without Him, we run out of steam and lie exhausted early on the journey.
However, with His Infilling Holy Spirit, we are empowered and can stand courageous and faith-filled.
Be Strong
Furthermore, be strong. Our strength comes from the very joy of God. (See Neh.8:10.)
If you are low on strength and energy, go to the Lord and spend some time reading His Word, meditating on Him.
Simply put, spend time in prayer and thinking about the Lord.
It is a source of strength.
Be strong in Him.
Do Everything In Love
Lastly, and perhaps, most importantly, love.
In fact, do everything in love
. Every word you speak, every action you carry out, every bit of work, every dealing, and every bit of compassion shown should be done in love.
Every relationship with friends, neighbors and loved ones should be done in love.
Likewise, drench every problem in prayer and love.
Pour Love
Pour love over every thought, conflict, discussion, phone call, office meeting, and family gathering.
Let love pour into and over it all. Do everything you do as Jesus would have done. Do them all in love.
If you are saying that you can’t possibly love that way. Ask God for help. The Holy Spirit indwells when we ask Him to come and stay. He will teach us and help us to obey God and be more like Jesus.
What a passage is I Cor.16:13-14!
Read it again.
Live it.
Infuse it into your being.
Indeed, let each day you live reflect the words.
Let them live in your heart and spirit.
Guard, stand firm in your faith, be courageous and strong and do everything in Love.
As you draw closer to Jesus, watch the world around you change.