“You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 2:1).
It is almost laughable to think that the world’s strongest animal is just over an inch in length. But when it comes to the power of a creature in relation to its size, the dung beetle has no competitors. This little black bug is the strongest insect on the planet and can pull 1,141 times its own body weight. That would be equivalent to an average person pulling six double-decker buses full of people.
The name for these insects describes their less than pleasant feature— they feed on dung or manure. Some of them are called rollers because they roll dung into round balls and use them as food or a brooding chamber. Others are known as tunnelers because they bury dung. And a third group is called dwellers because they simply live in manure. Apart from these distasteful practices, the most fascinating feature of this small but strong insect is that it is the only known creature on earth (not including humans) that can navigate and orient themselves by the stars in the sky.
One of the toughest and strongest of the apostles, Paul, worked with one of the most timid of church leaders—Timothy. The young pastor was known to be fearful and sensitive. At one time Paul even suggested Timothy take a little medicinal wine because of his stomach problems (see 1 Timothy 5:23). However, Paul also challenged his young partner in ministry to “be strong.”
From all outward appearances, it would seem that Timothy would never be a powerful leader in the church. Paul’s introduction of Timothy at Corinth encouraged this group of believers to welcome him, “that he may be with you without fear” and that “no one despise him” (1 Corinthians 16:10, 11). Though the hesitant youthful worker had hurdles to overcome, he grew to be a strong servant of God because he oriented himself by “the grace that is in Christ Jesus.”
“Soldiers of Christ, arise, and put your armour on, strong in the strength which God supplies through His eternal Son!”
For Further Study: 2 Timothy 1:7; Joshua 1:9; 2 Corinthians 12:9