The fourth imperative from the charge in I Cor 16:13-14 is to ‘Be Strong’:

“Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love.”

‭‭Like ‘be watchful’ and ‘stand firm’, this specific imperative to ‘be strong’ is also part of Paul’s exhortation in Eph. 6; “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.”

‭‭This is strength specific.  Be strong ‘in the Lord’. Nothing here about physical fitness but rather spiritual fitness. Be Strong for others, not just for myself.

Strength of ‘his might’ is to tap into and rely on God’s Might and not rely on my own strength.

In his next letter to these same Corinthians, Paul wrote how God said to him, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Paul concluded that he would boast of his weakness, so that the power of Christ may rest upon him. He then shared in II Corinthians 12 that “For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

Prayer.

Father, help me to stop trying to be strong on my own and to start relying on the strength of your might. In Jesus Name, Amen