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The Bible is the best handbook there is on how to become a hero. It is a book about heroes, for heroes—filled with mighty examples worth emulating in our own quest for eternal greatness.
In the last issue, we talked about an important lesson we can learn from those examples: The fact that heroes prepare for greatness. You can see that in the lives of King David and many others, who used the years of their youth wisely in order to prepare for heroic acts at that time and later in life.
Now let’s examine two more vital lessons these heroes can teach us.
Lesson 3 : Heroes Sacrifice the Ordinary to Become Extraordinary
If you start reading the story of Samson in Judges 13, you see that he was dedicated to God from the time he was a youth. God gave him certain rules to follow in order to have His protection and supernatural strength.
The same is true for us. If we’re going to be heroes for God, we have to be different from most people. In several places, Paul compares being a Christian to being a soldier, a champion athlete, and a warrior. To fulfill that job right requires real sacrifice! A soldier has to sacrifice to become a warrior (2 Timothy 2:1, 3-4). He can’t get mixed up with things that make him weak. He can’t be like everyone else. Extraordinary people must have extraordinary discipline.
1 Corinthians 9:25-27 state: “Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. Well, I do not run aimlessly, I do not box as one beating the air; but I pommel my body and subdue it, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified” (Revised Standard Version). It can be inspiring to see a professional athlete who truly disciplines himself for his sport. No one gets very far on sheer talent. It’s the ones who come early and stay late—who work on the details of their game, who put in the time, the sweat, the pain—who really rise to the very top.
Read Proverbs 31. These are the words of a wise mother to a king, the words of a woman who understood what it took to be an extraordinary leader. This is most likely Bathsheba’s advice to her son Solomon. Notice verse 3 closely: Wrong relationships destroy kings! Solomon did not follow this instruction, and his strength was destroyed by women. Even Samson’s life was almost completely destroyed by one bad woman. You probably know of young people in the Church who have made the same mistake—and they’re no longer with us receiving the education of kings.
There are wrong ways of living that do destroy kings—ways that take heroes down. Heroes must be willing to stay away from those things (verses 4-5).
What does it take to be willing to sacrifice something that might look good in the near term? Having a vision of what you will gain in the long run! Focus on the future in order to keep up the fight—to keep disciplining yourself and bring your life into submission. This is the only way to become a hero for God!
God says we cannot be friends with the world and friends with God at the same time. If you’ve gotten mixed up with the wrong group of people and you decide you’re going to separate yourself, you’re going to hear about it. “Of course, your former friends will be very surprised when you don’t eagerly join them anymore in the wicked things they do, and they will laugh at you in contempt and scorn. But just remember that they must face the Judge of all, living and dead; they will be punished for the way they have lived” (1 Peter 4:4-5; Living Bible).
If you’re living God’s way of life, this world is going to get on your case for it. That is a promise from God! (John 15:18-20). We must be willing to sacrifice friendship with the world in order to have friendship with God. We must be willing to sacrifice physical riches to have spiritual riches.
Of course, we should also be smart and not try to bring persecution on ourselves by being loudmouths and not using wisdom.
Romans 12:18 says we should try to live peaceably with all men, including those in the world. But Christ also says, They hated me; don’t be surprised if they hate you too. Have you ever experienced that? Has anyone made fun of you for doing the right thing? When that happens, everything in us wants to just cave in and be like the world! Peter was the chief apostle, but when Jesus was taken out to be crucified, and people started to accuse Peter—saying, Weren’t you one of that guy’s followers?—he totally denied it! He even cursed to prove his point (Matthew 26:69-75). That is the way we all tend to be.
We should understand the value in being different. It’s a wonderful thing. It’s a great and mighty thing—a heroic thing—to stand up for what’s right, no matter how much pressure people put on us. In most cases, if you stand alone and don’t back down, a lot of people will respect you more anyway. They’ll recognize strength when they see that. So what if the world doesn’t like you? So what if people disagree with what you’re doing? The fact is, God disagrees with what they’re doing!
Does God want you to be a conformist? Notice these scriptures: “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God” (Romans 12:2). 2 Corinthians 6:17-18 state: “Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.” If we separate ourselves and stand alone, God can save us. We’ll be His sons!
Lesson 4 : Heroes Love Their Cause More Than Their Life
We will face persecution (Matthew 10:22-23). As it states in Matthew 10:28, we must fear God more than men. We cannot allow ourselves to fear men or anything they may be able to do to us. We must even be willing to die for our religion—like Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego, Daniel, Christ, most of the early apostles and the other examples in Hebrews 11. If we’re not willing to, someone could bully us into abandoning what is right!
The Bible is full of heroic examples of men and women who did the right thing. Luke 6:22-23 state: “Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man’s sake. Rejoice ye in that day, and leap for joy: for, behold, your reward is great in heaven: for in the like manner did their fathers unto the prophets.”
Conversely, as verse 26 states, “Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! for so did their fathers to the false prophets.”
Become a Hero for God
In 1 Timothy 6:12, Paul tells us how to be a hero for God: “Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life ….” It’s a fight—a good fight! 1 Corinthians 16:13 states: “Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong” (New International Version). It doesn’t really matter what the bully at school thinks or what the rest of the world thinks of us (Romans 8:31, 35-36). Paul says, Look, these things are going to happen, but can any of that really separate you from God? With Christ’s help, we can be more than conquerors! (verse 37). We can be heroes for the ages.
The Bible is a book of heroes and it’s a book for heroes. Study these marvelous biblical examples and emulate them in your life. We are living in the time of heroes. This world needs heroes. God needs heroes. Rise to the call and become a hero for God.
True Education, March-April 2008