Come back to the place of safety, all you prisoners who still have hope! I promise this very day that I will repay two blessings for each of your troubles. Judah is my bow, and Israel is my arrow. Jerusalem is my sword, and like a warrior, I will brandish it… —Zechariah 9:12-13 NLT
We started this series by recognizing the ultimate Hero, Christ Jesus. We all need Him to be our Hero, a Teacher full of love and grace.
The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. —Psalm 103:8 NIV
What a beautiful model He has left us to follow; for once we know our Hero, Christ calls us to become heroes. We are His sword. We are His warriors. In a world gone awry, we demonstrate the beauty of Christ by brandishing His sword of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self control (see Galatians 5:22).
Christ arms His swashbuckling heroes to penetrate Satan’s realm:
The word swashbuckler generally describes a protagonist who is heroic and idealistic to the bone and who rescues damsels in distress. His opponent is typically characterized as the dastardly villain. There is a long list of swashbucklers who combine outstanding courage, sword-fighting skill, resourcefulness, chivalry and a distinctive sense of honor and justice.*
As swashbucklers for our Savior, we wield our sword against the most dastardly villain: Satan.
We are the heroes in God’s story. We are weapons of warfare, warriors who step out courageously as skilled sword-fighters with a distinctive sense of honor and justice.
There are many in our world who are in distress. God calls us to participate in His plan of rescue and redemption.
Calling all swashbucklers! Remove your swords from your sheaths. There are souls to reach and hearts to heal. Let’s rescue those in distress through the power of God’s love and forgiveness. Let them see the ultimate Hero in you.
So, hero, what is God calling you to do? What are the consequences to those in distress if you don’t pick up your sword?
*Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swashbuckler, accessed 11-13-2013.
