The past couple of months a reoccurring theme has popped up over and over. I didn’t really notice it at first, but this theme has been consistent in lots of areas and came from lots of places. This theme that keeps coming up is courage. I have read about it in my devotionals. I have been slowly working my way back through a book I read several years ago, and courage has come up in it in the last couple of chapters. I also have always thought I relate best to the cowardly lion from the Wizard of Oz. If I only had some courage.
GK Chesterson defines courage as a contradiction. He says courage is “A STRONG DESIRE TO LIVE TAKING THE FORM OF A READINESS TO DIE.” In other words I want to live so much that I am ready to die for it. He uses examples like someone lost at sea, continuing to swim. Or military personnel caught in a fire fight. If they loose that desire to live, then they just give up and they will surely die. If they loose the readiness to die then they become cowards.
Courage is a strong desire to live taking the form of a readiness to die.This isn’t just for people on the brink of death. This isn’t just for the men and women of the military. Jesus said this is for every believer. Jesus said this to his disciples “For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it.” (Matthew 16:25)
What is there to be afraid of here in America today. The church is not persecuted. We are not slaves. We do not fear soldiers, or secret police in our midst ready to bust through the doors with guns to arrest us. I know all of this, yet there is still a part of me that is afraid. There is still that person inside of me, or maybe spirit outside of me that says, “you shouldn’t share the gospel with them, it might offend them.” Or “Show people the love of God by just your actions.” And my favorite is, “what if they find out what you are really like? That you are not the perfect Christian,” I have the strong desire to live, with people, to be liked. I lack the readiness to die, to put myself out there, to vulnerable to people and share my faith.
Jesus also said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” I used to think great, he is all around me. I’m protected on all sides and nothing can get to me. That wasn’t necessarily true. Things did get to me. I’ve learned that doesn’t mean Jesus is just with me, but fights for me. It’s not up to me if someone accepts Christ. It is up to me to share the Gospel with them. It is not up to me to fix problems, It is up to Christ, I have to be available to be used by Christ. The Bible says the battle is already won. That means the problem is in the past with God. The victory is already there.
When Christ died for us, it took an incredible amount of courage. He wanted to live with his Father and us so much he was ready to die for it. His resurrected life allows His Spirit to be with us. The same spirit that gave Samson incredible strength is in us, the same spirit that caused David to dance before God, is in us. The same spirit that raised Christ from the dead, is in us. So that no matter what we face, we have already won, and that should make us courageous lions.
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