Spiderman

Have you ever wished to be like Spiderman? If you are a Christian, you may be more like him than you thought.

The story of the comic book hero Spiderman begins as the teenager Peter Parker gets bitten by a radioactive spider. The next morning after the bite, Peter wakes to the initially painful reality that he is now different. He is the same guy but he has new abilities. The circumstances of his life have not changed but along with his new abilities, Peter realizes he has new opportunities which turn into new obligations. At first, Peter is confused about his overnight change. The confusion quickly yields to exhilaration as he swings from building to building. His keen new senses inform Peter when injustices arise to which he races to lend aid. A new mission is born in him. He saves peoples' lives. He rights wrongs. He becomes a protector of the people from those who would steal, kill, and destroy. And he is misunderstood by the general public. He is portrayed as a villain by the local newspaper editor whose main concern is circulation driven by fantastic headlines and equally fantastic photos.

Misunderstood and even unjustly vilified, Spiderman remains undaunted. He knows who he is and that he must keep the vigil of his new calling. While he senses great joy and fulfillment with his new life, he also deals with the temptation to be like everyone else again. There was no great struggle in his old life except for making money and pursuing the girl he loves. His new life has not changed those struggles and at times he feels the weight of responsibility bearing down heavily upon him. At his darkest moments he even contemplates denouncing his new calling to return to life as it once was. In the end, Peter Parker, Spiderman, chooses the destiny to which he has been called knowing that the good of others outweighs his old, personal, selfish desires. He has a job to do and is determined to finish it well.

Spiderman is fiction conceived in the minds of Stan Lee and his associates. In real life, spider bites do not impart to us their attributes. We are the people we were born to be. But, there is someone who can impart to us new life with new abilities and new responsibilities. Jesus Christ came to this world to save the lost and we all fit into the category. When a person comes to faith in Christ as his or her Lord and Savior then life is new. They are born-again, born anew with new powers and responsibilities. As a saved person grows in grace, those responsibilities turn into opportunities. The got-to's turn into get-to's.

The Christian's power is not from a spider bite but from the Holy Spirit of God who dwells within the believer. This power enables the believer to understand the spiritual principles found in the word of God, the Bible. Also, the Holy Spirit gives Christians boldness to share with others what God has done in them. Christians can and should grow in the grace and knowledge of Christ. Christians can speak directly to God Himself and hear back from Him in the still small voice in their minds. The believer is part of God's family and thus connected to all blessings from God through the Lord Jesus.

Life has new purpose even though, like Spiderman, life's circumstances have not changed. There can be times when a Christian finds himself looking back at his old life with some amount of envy. The old desires remain in the Christian and are at war with the new self who has a new set of desires and priorities. That struggle is constant and can wear out a person. In Romans chapter seven, Paul said he was worn out from that struggle. He understood that only the power of God residing in him could win the battle over the flesh, the old desires. When we feel the weight of responsibility, we are faced with a choice. We can either run away to the old way of living and live a frustrated defeated life or we can rely on the Holy Spirit to strengthen us to face what is before us and live in victory and joy.

Will life then be easy and prosperous? Probably not. Remember when God saved you, He did not lift you out of your circumstances. He gave you hope beyond your circumstances and promised to never leave you to face those circumstances alone.

Finally, let us choose to finish well what we have been set to do. Jesus said in John 4:34 that His sustenance was to do God's will and finish the work God sent Him to do. Dear Christian, you have been saved for and with a purpose. You have a job to do. You will be vilified and even hated. You will be misunderstood. Your struggles may not get any easier. But the reward is great. God can use you to aid in saving people from eternal damnation. You can encourage other Christians. You can openly praise the name of God. There is too much at stake to stop. Finish well what God has empowered and called you to do.

Because He lives,

Robby