Friday, August 3, 2012

Recharging Superman: Sin Is My Kryptonite


Who would have ever guessed the Superman figure created by Jerry Siegal and Joe Shuster in 1932 would become the mega-popular icon in American culture that it is today? Everywhere you turn you will find images and fans of the Super Hero. There is no doubt about it everyone loves the Superman.  Why shouldn’t they? We all need to know there is a force greater than ourselves in the universe, fighting for the good of all mankind! Yep, even as an adult, Superman is my hero, and lately I’ve been thinking about him…

There is much I could say about my hero, but this article is about something that struck me recently about the nature of Superman. As great as he was, he still had a major weakness—Kryptonite. He could not be within a few yards of this vitality sapping substance without losing his great strength. In a matter of moments, in the presence of Kryptonite, the man of steel would drop to his knees like melting butter. We have seen it time and time again during his many battles with the conniving Lex Luther, his arch nemesis. It occurred to me that we too have a very crafty and cunning nemesis who is always tempting us to get closer and closer to our Kryptonite. I know my Kryptonite—sin. Sin is a terrible strength zapper. It drains the very life out of me as I struggle with the trials and tribulations in my life.

The Bible talks about “casting aside all sin and anything that will weigh us down.” in this race we call life. Sin is dead weight. The runner cannot win the race if he is carrying dead weight. We racerunners must have a way to throw off the weight of sin when we realize Satan has tempted us too close to our Kryptonite…

Superman fans know that he had a way to escape from the power of Kryptonite and to recharge himself. When he would finally get far enough away from the Kryptonite to regain a little power, he would leap to his feet and take off flying high above the clouds into the presence of the sun! The sun’s energy would then replenish his vitality and strength so he could return and once again to triumph over evil.

Now I am certainly not comparing myself to Superman, “The Man of Steel,” but like him, I have found a way to break away from sin—to get myself “recharged,” just as Superman did. I must pull back from my sin, leap into the Word for strength, and then flee into the presence of the Son! The Son of the living God, Jesus Christ, is my sun!

 God told Abraham, “I Am your sun and your shield and your exceedingly great reward,” and this is still true today for us. We must often be in the presence of the Son in order to be infused with His love and power. We must be in the presence of the Son who is the way, the truth, and the life.

Just as the creators of Superman made a way for him to recharge, so too our Creator has designed a way for us to recharge. (As a matter of fact, I would argue that Superman’s makers probably copied the idea from God, since we were created just a little before the Caped Crusader!)

Psalm 29:11 states, “The Lord will give strength to His people; the Lord will bless His people with peace.” Are you spending time in the presence of the Son? If you are in need of a recharge the Lord Jesus says to you, “Come to me all who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Isaiah 40:31 says it like this, “But those who wait (sit in His presence) upon the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.” Now that sounds like a real recharge to me!

So my question to you is, what are you waiting for? It’s sure not God, because He is way ahead of you, extending His grace. Come! Recharge your spirit in the presence of the Son!

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