Joe Rollino probably isn’t a name passed around the dinner table with much frequency. Although he weighed in at a modest 150 pounds, his ability to lift 635 pounds with his fingers and 3,200 pounds with his back would win him several accolades and strongman titles. But it would not be his Strongest Man in the World title that would endear him, make him a hero in the eyes of those who knew him. He would best be remembered for his service in the Pacific arena during World War II, for pulling his injured comrades from the battlefield, two under each arm, only to return to the line of fire to carry more of his wounded brothers to safety. A Bronze Star, a Silver Star, and three Purple Hearts would be the rewards for his service and the battle injuries he incurred during that service.
The quality or state of being strong; capacity for endurance; impregnability; solidity; toughness; all synonymous with the name Samson, the man upon whom The Spirit of the LORD began to move,” a man who rent “a young lion” with his bare hands, “slew thirty men” singlehandedly, wiped out 1,000 Philistines with “the jawbone of an ass,” carried the “doors of the gate” of Gaza “upon his shoulders,” and literally brought down the walls during a Philistine celebration.
But if you interpret strength as inner moral character; the ability to do what is right when no one is watching; godliness; self-control; ethical integrity; may I suggest for your consideration a young boy, Samuel, a child dedicated to the Lord by a faithful mother, a boy intent on hearing, understanding, and obeying God’s voice, one who would grow to serve his God in an apostate culture, a man who would grow to be “established to be a prophet of the LORD,” anointing kings, spiritually directing a nation, and carrying God’s words and warnings to the children of Israel.
Who had more strength, a man with the ability to bring down the house, living on the edge of moral collapse at every decision he made, or a young man who would lead a nation in the ways of God, a man who would have these words as his epitaph: “the LORD was with him, and did let none of his words fall to the ground?” Samson and Samuel, whose life should we mirror, strive to duplicate, view as a pattern for our lives? God has the answer as He encourages us to “be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.”
Ephesians 6:10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.
Lord, help us to be strong in You, strong in the Lord, not in our own strength. May it be written of me that the Lord was with me.