Spiritual leaders answer on strength

• Editor’s note: “Spiritual leaders answer on…” is a weekly column inviting Kaua‘i’s religious and spiritual leaders to share their doctrines’ perspective on a suggested subject. Every Friday a topic is printed inviting a response. Submissions are edited for content and length. Thoughts or suggestions for future topics are always welcome. Next week the suggested topic is fathers. The topic at the end of the column is for the following week.

Pastor Wayne Patton

Anahola Baptist Church

All of us come to a point in life when we are not sure we have the strength to go on. But the Bible has many passages for us when we feel that way. The words “strong,” “strength” and “strengthened” occur over 500 times in the Bible. God has much to say about strength.

The apostle Paul’s life was beset by struggles on every side, but he made up his mind to maintain his joy, enthusiasm, exuberance, victory and morale. He declares twice in 2 Corinthians 4, a very powerful phrase, “we do not lose heart.”  Paul may lose sleep, friends, earthly fame, worldly wealth, skin off his back and years off his life, but he is determined not to lose heart.

The greatest leaders in human history and in the world of athletics have all had one thing in common: the strength to refuse to give up when things were grim. 

Alabama football coach Paul “Bear” Bryant said: “Don’t give up at halftime. Concentrate on winning the second half.”

 Michael Jordan said: “If you run into a wall, don’t turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it or work around it.”

That may be sports talk, but this is also biblical theology. We press on “according to the working of God’s mighty strength.” (Ephesians 1)

Dr. James Fung

Lihu‘e Christian Church

God gives us strength beyond our own when we’re feeling down, discouraged, tired or when we are faced with a monumental task. The Bible is full of stories of ordinary people with extraordinary accomplishments because of God’s empowerment. We think of David with a boy’s slingshot calmly defeating a seasoned warrior who stands laughing at his apparent puniness. We think of Peter healing a lame person not because of his own resources but in the name of Jesus.  We think of numerous people of faith standing up for what’s right and staring down the very threat of death with the strength and confidence of knowing that their God stands with them.

The strength that God gave to those whose exploits we read of in the Bible is the very same strength that God gives to us as we place our trust and confidence in Him.

It takes inner strength to deal with the sudden and devastating loss of a loved one. It takes quiet strength to endure a sometimes-difficult and stressful work environment. It takes strength of character to ignore or overlook the unfair stuff that gets dumped on us from time to time. It can be overwhelming. But we do it, not on our own but with God’s help.

I have repeated many times in many situations these words of encouragement:  “They who wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings as eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.” (Isaiah 40: 31). 

It reminds me that I don’t need to just rely on my meager battery pack when I can stay plugged in to God’s abundant and endless power.

Kaua‘i Dharma Center

Strength is developed in one’s spiritual practice when one practices the methods of meditation, prayer and virtuous activities to develop and purify body, speech and mind. This discipline with the motivation to benefit all sentient beings and the natural world causes one to become a strong, powerful, efficient, effective and responsible human being. We call this Enlightenment or Buddhahood.

Topic for two

weeks from today

• Will you speak to us on elders?

• Spiritual leaders are invited to e-mail responses of three to five paragraphs to pwoolway@kauaipubco.com.

• Deadline each week is 5 p.m. Tuesday.