Stand awake in ordinary places

Four short commands, dropped in at the end of a long letter with no fanfare: be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.
Arnold points out that this is not a random burst of encouragement. Watch, stand, faith - it is the same vocabulary cluster Paul uses in the armour passage in Ephesians 6, where what is being stood against is explicitly not flesh and blood. And where does the strength come from? 2 Timothy 2:1 answers it: the grace that is in Christ Jesus. Not your reserves.
Scripture links:
- 1 Corinthians 16:13-14 - "Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love."
- Ephesians 6:11-18 - Stand, and be watchful - the same words, in the context of the unseen struggle.
Most of standing firm happens on days when nothing dramatic is visible.