Get Pumped

2 Timothy 2:1
{1} You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.

    "I can promise you that when I go to Sacramento, I will pump up Sacramento.
        -Campaign promise by California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger

When Arnold Schwarzenegger was running his campaign to become Governor of California he made a promise to his constituency that many understood from his personal background. Schwarzenegger, a former professional body builder and Hollywood star often played an overtly strong man in his films, used a term of the gym. To get pumped up is the muscle sensation ones feels after doing a set of weight lifting. The muscles are tight and are larger because they have literally been pumped with blood. Before he was the Governator, Schwarzenegger made a career out of exercising and building his body. Strength was his calling card. In his campaign he promised to use his personal strength to force his state to exercise and grow in its own strength.

The Apostle Paul calls us to be strong. Literally to be enstrengthened or to put it bluntly, get pumped up. It is a call to be strong in faith and action. Too many people have the concept of the church and its followers as a bunch of sanctimonious sissies. Many picture the church as those folks who have a mild mannered preacher who preaches mild mannered sermons to mild mannered people about how to be more mild mannered. Sadly, many of our churches have contributed to this popular opinion. We have become social clubs where those who care little about doing anything of monumental importance hold positions of authority over the congregation to keep it from ever growing in any type of strength or vitality. Most of our churches could stand to get a little pumped up.

True Christian faith is strong in nature. When true Christian faith is followed it empowers Christians to rise above the ordinary and do extraordinary things. In ancient Rome it was the custom to take unwanted infants to the city dump and leave them. There they were adopted as slaves or died. The Roman mindset was either way the problem of an unwanted child was solved quickly. It was the early Christians of Rome who scoured the dumps and raised the orphans. To adopt such a mindset of the dignity and sanctity of a weak and helpless life was to run against the entire grain of Roman culture. The church did not survive centuries of persecution because it was weak. Our forefathers understood what it meant to be strong Christians.

What would happen to American Christianity if we grew strong in the grace of Jesus? Christianity changed the ancient world and gave direction and purpose to Western Civilization. Maybe, with God’s help we need to pump up the world again.

PRAYER:
Lord, help me to be strong in my faith. Give me your strength and let me use it for the glory of your kingdom. In Jesus’ name, Amen.