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Be Courageous

God tells us, about 50 times, to be courageous.

What is Courage?

Courage: “The quality or state of mind or spirit that enables one to face danger, fear, or vicissitudes with self-possession, confidence, and resolution; bravery.”

Courage enables us to do what the Lord tells us to do.

Remember: There is a difference between courage and foolishness.

HOW

Joseph of Arimathea came, a prominent member of the Council, who himself was waiting for the kingdom of God; and he gathered up courage and went in before Pilate, and asked for the body of Jesus. (Mark 15:43)

How do we “gather up our courage?”

#1 Stand on your firm foundation in the Lord.

Jesus Christ is your Lord. Remind yourself about who He is, your position as God’s child, and God’s promises about your future.

Remember: He is with you.

Take courage; it is I, do not be afraid. (Mark 6:50)

Remember: You are in a battle for a great cause.

#2 Be clear about your objective

The Lord has chosen you to do some task. ACT! (1 Chronicles 28:10)

What is it He wants you to do?

Or, sometimes the Lord has chosen you to wait. It can take courage NOT to act, but to wait. (Psalm 27:14)

#3 Be conscious of your witness

Courage can be contagious… But so, also, can cowardice.

Paul’s imprisonment gave others more courage to speak the word of God without fear. (Philippians 1:14)

#4 Pray

Pray at every step, not just this one!

#5 Do It Scared!

Still Scared? Did God tell you to act?

Do it scared.

Do it.

Everyone living has a past, is living in the present, and has a future. There are no exceptions. However, the specifics are different for each of us.

Believers have many common elements for our past, present, and future.

Here is a description just from Romans 5:

Believers’ Past

We believers—all of us—were enemies of God, and helpless to do anything about that. (vv. 6, 10)

But! Christ died for us, the ungodly, demonstrating God’s love for us. (v.8)

We, those who believe in Christ Jesus, and, by faith, trust Him, have been justified (declared righteous). (v. 9)

We were made righteous and received an abundance of grace. (v. 17)

The Holy Spirit was given to us. (v. 5)

God’s love was poured out within our hearts through the Holy Sprit. (v.5)

Believers’ Present

We have peace with God, being reconciled to Him through Christ’s death. (v.1)

We stand in grace, through faith, through Jesus Christ. (v.2)

We are saved by Christ’s life. (v.10)

We exult in the hope of the glory of God. (vv.2, 11)

Believers’ Future

We are saved from the wrath of God through Jesus Christ. (v.9)

In other chapters, our future is more thoroughly described.

We have eternal life (John 3:15), with glory beyond comprehension (1 Corinthians 2:9).

Be Encouraged

In the past we, believers, were saved from the penalty of sin.

We all have a past of ungodly behavior. Don’t get stuck there. Remember the fact—the fact—that God, even though I was, you were, His enemy, He loved us so much that Christ died for us.

Even though…He made us righteous.

Even though…He gave us His Holy Spirit.

Even though…He poured out His love into our hearts.

In the present we, believers, are being saved from sin’s power.

And we have His help in the present, enabling us to live more godly lives.

We stand in His grace, knowing He is with us and will never forsake us.

In the future we, believers, will be saved from sin’s presence.

We are assured of eternal life, glory beyond comprehension.

Hang in there

Good morning, Saint!

Now, insert your name: Good morning, Saint [your name]!

How many of you cringed at that?

The world’s definition of saint is not the Biblical definition of saint. The world says a saint is an “extremely virtuous person.”

The Bible says a saint is a believer, one who believes Jesus Christ is the Son of God, trusts Him for salvation, and has received Him as Lord and Savior.

In six of the nine epistles written by Paul to churches (rather than to individuals), Paul addresses his letter to the saints.

Saints are Righteous in Christ Jesus

We, believers, are not “extremely virtuous,” but God declares we are righteous in Christ Jesus.

Take a deep breath.

Another translation: [Your name], holy one of God.

Paul Prays We will Know

I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints. (Ephesians 1:18)

A Few of the Riches for Saints

We have received revelation from God.

The mystery which has been hidden from the past ages and generations, but has now been manifested to His saints… (Colossians 1:26)

Our prayers are incense to God.

When He had taken the book, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each one holding a harp and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. (Revelation 5:8)

We will receive the kingdom

But the saints of the Highest One will receive the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever, for all ages to come. (Daniel 7:18)

We will judge

Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world? … Do you not know that we will judge angels? (1 Corinthians 6:2–3)

Saints Are Called and Have a High Calling

We are saints.

We are saints, not because the world says so.

We (believers) are saints because God says so.

So there!

Let’s not be embarrassed. But let’s live up to it.

~~~~

Grace and peace to you, Saint [your name]

She heeded no voice, she accepted no instruction. She did not trust in the LORD, she did not draw near to her God. (Zephaniah 3:2)

We’re Warned

That warning is to a city, but—oh my!—it pertains to us as individuals as well.

I know I have acted against the voice of the Lord. I know I have failed to act when I’ve had a nudge (or more) from the Lord.

Recently, I wondered about the security of a valuable item, but didn’t mention it to the owner. And it was stolen! Some time ago, I had a nudge to call a friend, and didn’t. Shortly after, she died! Oh no! I lost my chance to talk with her until eternity. (And, of course, there are much worse examples in my own life.)

You can probably remember times you didn’t heed the voice of the Lord and acted against, or failed to act on, His instruction.

Don’t Despair

Make Sure You’re a Child of God

If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. (Romans 10:9–10)

Confess

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)

Believe He Forgave

BELIEVE Him. He is faithful and righteous. He says He forgives if we (children of God) confess.

The Remedy to Avoid Future Failure

Draw near to God.

Discover who He is.

Learn about His sovereignty, His love, His faithfulness.

Make sure you’re “prayed up.”

Find out what He wants.

Trust in the Lord.

Follow His instructions!

Obey His commands!

How?

The best time for me is at the start of the day, to read the Word of God, pray, and get centered in Him. At that time I can commit my ways to Him, ask Him for the day’s priorities (my cherished “to do” list!), and determine to trust Him for whatever.

What are you doing?

Experiential learning: The process of learning through experience.

Iwas impatient with corporate “team building,” which often included “experiential learning” that had, to me, little applicability. The value of a ropes course totally escaped me. (Well, I did learn that I didn’t want to do that again…)

To be fair, I can recall a few exercises that illuminated both knowledge and action. But…not the ropes course!

And, given my many years in school, my love of education, what I often really want is to know what spiritual course I’m in, when the test is scheduled, and to receive a letter grade. And, then, to neatly store my books and notes.

I want to know when I’ve completed the basics and moved on to a higher-level course. I want to be tested on what I know.

Multiple choice tests would be fine; essay exams okay.

But practical exams?

Growth Requires Experiential Learning

However.

Our growth as Christians requires experiential learning.

And God, who knows everything about us, who knows how He is shaping us, is the all-knowing, all-powerful experiential learning master teacher.

God is “into” experiential learning. That isn’t to say knowledge is unimportant, because it is. We are to grow in the knowledge and love of God. And there is nothing so practical as good theory, as good theology.

But if we don’t put what we know into practice, we have failed.

Understanding is only evident when there is action.

Faith without works is dead. (See James 2:14-26)

The mark of a mature Christian is partly knowledge, being able to handle the word of God accurately (2 Timothy 2:15), but is shown, is proved, through behavior.

We will come to the judgment seat of Christ where we will receive awards based on what we do in this life. What we do. It won’t be a theological exam, but a review of many practical exams. (2 Corinthians 5:10)

Knowledge-Doing Link

“You get to know the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit by studying God’s self-revelation, the Bible, and following Him. His Word says as we obey, we grow in knowledge. A wonderful cycle is one of the blessings of obedience: Walk in a manner worthy of the Lord [so you] please Him in all respects [so you] bear fruit in every good work [so you] increase in the knowledge of God. (Colossians1:9-12) Then we know Him better, and because we know Him more, we love Him more, so we keep His commandments better. And then because we are keeping His commandments, we know Him, more.” (page 16, When Storms Come: Will You Be Ready?)

“If anyone is willing to do His will, he will know of the teaching, whether it is of God or whether I speak from Myself.” (John 7:17)

Testing is an Experiential Learning Exercise

There are examples in both the Old and New Testaments of testing, and at least hints about the results.

Abraham

Now it came about after these things, that God tested Abraham, … and said to him, “Do not stretch out your hand against the lad, and do nothing to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.” (Genesis 22:1,12)

Israel in the Wilderness

Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid; for God has come in order to test you, and in order that the fear of Him may remain with you, so that you may not sin.” (Exodus 20:20)

the Lord your God is testing you to find out if you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. (Deuteronomy 13:3)

Philip

This He was saying to test Philip, for He Himself [Jesus] knew what He was intending to do. (John 6:6)

Outcomes of God-Designed Experiential Learning

Christians are being refined as silver

The refining pot is for silver and the furnace for gold, But the Lord tests hearts. (Proverbs 17:3)

For You have tried us, O God; You have refined us as silver is refined. (Psalm 66:10)

Improved Endurance

The testing of your faith produces endurance. (James 1:3)

Glory to God

[Trials] so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. (1 Peter 1:7)

Action Plan

We must gain knowledge and practice applying the knowledge of God in our lives.

1. Ask for experiential learning!

~~~Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me and know my anxious thoughts; and see if there be any hurtful way in me, and lead me in the everlasting way. (Psalm 139:23–24)

2. Gain knowledge with the intent to apply it.

We gain knowledge by studying the Bible. It is there that God reveals Himself, where we can learn about Him, His character, His ways of doing things, His instructions to us.

And it is there we can see how others have behaved, successfully—or not—applying the knowledge and love of God. We see models to imitate and behaviors to avoid.

Plan to apply your knowledge of God and His instructions. One of the put downs of college professors is that they live in ivory towers, meaning that they are full of knowledge that they haven’t put into action. There are a lot of Christians trying to live in ivory towers, but God won’t let us get by with it. Either we apply it or we don’t.

3. As you develop our “to do” lists for the day (See What Are Your Plans Today), add plans to demonstrate your faith.

Think about, for example, how you can, this day, show your love for other Christians, or how you can, this day, calm your anxious heart by relying on God’s loving sovereignty.

Deliberately, purposefully, intentionally, practice applying your knowledge of God.

Have you been on a tour deep in a cave when all lights are extinguished? Total darkness! You can’t see your hand right in front of your face. Everyone becomes quiet. Some become unsteady, lacking visual references to keep their balance. And then it gets quieter still. When the tour guide turns on the smallest light, there is such relief!

Spiritually, we are in darkness…unless Christ, the Light of the world, brings us into His marvelous light.

Jesus Christ, the Light of the world and the world to come

Jesus Christ is the Light of the world.

While I am in the world, I am the Light of the world. (John 9:5)

Jesus Christ is the Light in the world to come.

And the city has no need of the sun or of the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God has illumined it, and its lamp is the Lamb. The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it. (Revelation 21:23–24)

And there will no longer be any night; and they will not have need of the light of a lamp nor the light of the sun, because the Lord God will illumine them. (Revelation 22:5)

Ezekiel, Daniel, and John, when they saw His face like lightning, and His eyes of flame, fell on their faces.

The Light, Jesus Christ, gives us glimpses of His glory, His majesty, so overwhelming our only proper response is to fall at His feet and worship Him.

Christ, The Light of the World

It’s not that He gives off light, but He IS light. He is the source of all light.

For us, His followers, children of God:

He takes us out of the darkness:

I have come as Light into the world, so that everyone who believes in Me will not remain in darkness. (John 12:44–46)

He has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. (1 Peter 2:9)

He enlightens us, giving us a lighted path and hope:

I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life. (John 8:12)

He is our source of revelation:

A Light of revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of Your people Israel. (Luke 2:32)

[We were given] the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.” (2 Corinthians 4:3–6)

He makes believers sons of Light, children of Light

While you have the Light, believe in the Light, so that you may become sons of Light. (John 12:35–36)

Children of Light have responsibilities

You were formerly darkness, but now you are Light in the Lord; walk as children of Light (for the fruit of the Light consists in all goodness and righteousness and truth), trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord. (Ephesians 5:8–13)

For the world:

Christ, The Light, Exposes Evil

This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. (John 3:19-21)

~~~

Praise The Light

I praise You, Christ, Light of the World. You, the Light, illuminate sin and righteousness, and guide us to all truth. I praise You, the Light for the world to come, that You are all we need. I praise You that You made me a child of light, that You have taken me out of darkness into Your light. I praise You for Your revelation of Yourself, the Father, and the world to come.

~~~~

This was the twelfth in the Praise series. Here are the previous eleven:

Praise the Abider

Praise the Bread of Life

Praise the Creator

Praise our Defender

Praise the Everlasting God

Praise our Father

Praise the Giver

Praise the Holy Spirit

Praise Immanuel

Praise Jesus Christ

Praise our Keeper

Show and Tell

When I was in first grade, I bragged about my brother who could drive a car and fly an airplane. Naturally, my classmates thought I was a liar.

My lovely teacher solved the problem by having my brother come to show and tell!

And my brother came!

It was true!

It definitely wasn’t enough to tell my classmates about my brother, he had to show up.

God Shows Up

God does that, too.

God shows up—He demonstrates–to help us understand, to believe.

Sometimes He tells us before; sometimes He tells us afterwards.

When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am… (John 8:28)

~~Told, then showed, then (maybe) belief

The signs He did showed… But the people often didn’t understand what the signs meant, so they were told.

~~Showed, then told.

By this we know love, that He laid down His life for us. (1 John 3:16)

~~Showed, then understood (maybe)

Do We Show Up?

Do we show our faith by our works? By acting out our faith? (James 2:14-26)

If we don’t show our faith, our words have no power.

We have to show and tell. (Not just tell.)

For more on how God shows us His love see chapter 8 in  When Storms Come: Will You Be Ready?