Be on guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be courageous.
Be strong. And do everything with love.
1 Corinthians 16:13-14 (NLT)
When I read the above verses this week, the words, “on guard” caught my attention. I recognized the expression as a fencing term. With limited knowledge of the sport, I looked up the term’s meaning. “En garde” is French for “on guard” and alerts fencers to take their positions for the bout (match) is about to begin.
In the verses above, Paul gave urgent advice to the church at Corinth as he closed his letter to them. He had just offered instruction on matters of morality and theology—problem areas within the church. He concluded his letter with Chapter 16 informing these new Christians to be on guard, stand firm in the faith, be courageous and strong, and to do everything with love.
I would imagine that the sport of fencing requires similar instructions. Fencers need to take their positions and be ready for the bout to begin. They need to stay alert, be aware of their opponent, take a firm stance, and have faith in their training. Courage and strength also sharpen their skills. I doubt they go after their opponent with love, but it’s a nice thought.
As I prepared for this blog post, God’s love for me moved me to tears. I am so fortunate to have His message available to me in written form to read whenever I choose. The Word of God is my lifeline during hard times and even when things are going well in my life. As I stay alert to His prompting, and aware of the enemy’s lies, I can reach out to others in love and confidence and allow God to use me. To have the Lord with me and leading me is a beautiful gift. I am so thankful.
I’m thankful, too, for Paul and his letter reminding us to be on guard—to stay alert and strong when those fencing bouts with the enemy occur. And to be aware of what’s happening around us including those in need of our love and kindness. We’re reminded to grow in our faith, courage, and strength. And do everything with love.
Thinking about fencing led me to my favorite movie—the 1995 BBC mini-series of Pride and Prejudice. I pulled up the fencing scene. Although they did not use “on guard,” Mr. Darcy states after his bout, “I shall conquer this. I shall.” He wasn’t talking about fencing. He referred to a personal battle he was facing. We can conquer our battles during our fencing bouts with our sword of the Spirit, the word of God.
Watching that tiny clip made it difficult to stop my DVD player to finish this blog post. Now that it’s posted, if you need me during the next five hours, you’ll find me in front of my television.
Blessings!
Photo by Eugene Lim - Unsplash