Heroes! Past and present; we all have them in our life – certain people who have gained or earned our respect and awe-inspiring praise by what they have done. We might have one or more, but they have definitely caught our attention at one time or another, wishing we could emulate them in some way. These heroes might be sports figures, military or government officials, movie stars/actors, or any list of numerous category figures that have made a huge impact in history in some way or another. This is usually positive, but some people are drawn to heroes that are evil or negative in some way.
The global company I retired from years ago did what many companies or businesses do at some point for employee morale and other reasons: display some theme or business message at their entry to their property or business. This display, however done, shows names and bios of persons, products, catchy phrases attributed to their business, workplace safety, etc., to send a positive message to the employees, but also visitors that come to their site. There’s a reason for this display.
Our company did themes one year (one each month) with one month the theme being “HEROES.” They were from the categories of sports, movie industry, politicians, playwrights, presidents, and others. This is an example of what the “world” looks at and expects. But, as a Bible believer, my heroes that day reminded me of those from the Bible whom God picked to do great things and accomplish great feats. These biblical “heroes” are what I look at for encouragement and Godly character to emulate and live by.
They were not perfect by any means, and actually were “a mess” just like we are, but they placed their trust in the living God as we do. These men and women were used by Him in mighty ways. I’m not going to list any because you can look them up in God’s Word yourself, from Genesis to Revelation. Of course, the main character is Jesus Christ, our Lord, who is the only One who has died and was resurrected three full days and nights later from the tomb. The main theme in the Bible is the Second Coming of Jesus. He is necessarily not a hero as we define the term hero, but became the Saviour of the world 2,000 years ago when He voluntarily went to the Cross and died for whoever will call upon Him (Isaiah 55:6). That was His First Coming.
There have been many truly great people over time that have earned the title of being famous or popular in some way, but none of them has come back from the dead. There are other religions beside Christianity, but their god or gods have never come back to life for the people.
You can get a Bible and look up all the amazing common people God used over time to accomplish amazing things. But first, read through the New Testament (Covenant) book of John the Apostle to know and acknowledge who Jesus (Yeshua in Hebrew) was and is, and inherit eternal life with the rest of us who have trusted in that name. There is no other name that has that power to accomplish this. There were many, and are now, lots of heroes who are Christians that have inspired us, but I’ll bet they gave their thanks and praise to God for their strengths and abilities.
I pray that you see that Christ is the one to follow – to put your faith in, to give your admiration and your loyalty to – in order to gain an entrance into heaven.
2 Peter 1:11 “For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.”
Now, that’s a promise you can count on.
In His Name,
Clay Smith
All Scripture is from the King James Bible.