The Warrior

Did you know that Sylvester Stallone is an Oscar winner? And not for acting but for the best picture that he wrote, Rocky. I watched the last and latest movie in the series tonight, Rocky Balboa. I loved it! It was slow, methodical and incredibly deep. It is not a light, silly, bam-bam movie. It was about not only a character, but a writer. It was Stallone saying good-bye, laying it all out, doing everything he wanted to do, finishing. As a high school football player I can remember guys motivating themselves as they listened on their walk-man to Eye of the Tiger. I am not sure if it works this way for all, but whenever I hear those first trumpet notes of Rocky, I am ready to Punch Someone Out!

But as demonstrated in this movie, life isn’t about physically punching someone. God didn’t call us to a “battle against flesh and blood.” At times I think those of us who look for a fight think we can win by hurting someone who is doing wrong. Like if we yell, do something outrageous, “don’t take it anymore”, insert whatever other phrase here you got, we can actually accomplish something for God. Who is the real winner? The man who has outbursts of anger or the Lord Jesus who died on the cross? The Paul who killed those who disagreed with him or the servant Paul who followed the Lord all the way to his heads removal at the hands of the Romans? The politicians who try to legislate for power and wealth or the politician William Wilberforce who shortened his life so that the British would end the slave trade? The minority leader bombing, shooting, and injuring innocents to right wrongs or Martin Luther King who got in the face of all the bullies and forced them to show their ridiculous anger to the world?

So what is real punching? For a real man it’s a question that must be answered. God has called us to be a part of this battle that is not against flesh and blood but how do we fight? For we are called to be warriors in this battle that He will win. But how, how are we to fight? Some say it’s by being nice, polite, dignified, or worse like a dog on their belly with paws in the air just waiting for someone to show them some love.

But it isn’t. Like a Ninja we are to be self-controlled. It’s part of the fruit of the spirit. Like a Knight we are to be ones of a code: Love the Lord Your God with all your heart and love your neighbor as yourself. Like a Samurai we are to be able at a moment’s notice to let loose with our weapons: prayer, love, courage, sacrifice and obedience to the Lord. Like a Marine we go to the place no one else will go. We walk into the home of the grieving mother and grieve with her, into the face of the gangster and give love and respect, to the hands of the pervert we bring acceptance of a real person who can be changed by a loving God. If it’s hard, if it’s difficult, if all others would run scared or become like a self-destructive animal biting anyone and anything in fear, the Warrior of God does not. Instead he punches not with physical fists, those are useless in this fight, but with punches of the love of God. And though times of exhaustion come and punches are relentless from the enemy, like Rocky, the Warrior of God gets up and stands! For as long as the Lord calls him to stand.

How can He not win? The Victory is secure, now we are just picking up medals!