Hey all,
What does it mean to you to be Courageous in your faith? What comes to mind? Most of us think that we have to "lose our life" to
show true courage in our faith.
But check this out. We don't have to lose our life. We are called to be courageous and share our story with others. That is a definition of courage that most of us don't think about. It is about sharing what we have seen and heard.
Let's check out the scripture for a reference.
In the book of Acts, there is the story of Peter healing a crippled man at the temple gate (Acts Chapter 3). After he performs the miracle, the priests and the temple guards came and took Peter (and John) and put them in jail. The Priests were worried because so many people were talking about the miracle and hearing about how it was done in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth.
The High Priests and Elders called for Peter and John to be brought forward and began to question them......"By what power or name did you do this?" they asked.
Peter responded that it was in the name of Jesus Christ that the crippled man was now standing before them. The same Jesus that they crucified and then raised from the dead three days later.
"When the High Priests saw the the courage of Peter and John and realized they were unschooled and ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus" Acts 4:13-15. So they let them go but told them to never speak of this again.
However Peter and John replied...."Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God's sight to obey you rather than God. For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard".
You see, having courage in our faith is not just about standing up for Jesus. It is about our willingness to share with others about what we have seen and heard. It is about sharing our story. It is telling others about the before and after "you". It is what Peter and John were doing that day. Two unschooled and ordinary men.......showing courage because they knew what they had seen and heard was true. They had been transformed by Jesus. They were changed.
Each of us has a story to share of what we have personally seen and heard in our life.....and how the Lord was there during the suffering, redemption, and celebrations. We have all seen and heard HIM in our lives.
We just have to have the courage to share it.
S&H,
-S
Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong. Do everything in love.
1 Cor 16:3
What does it mean to you to be Courageous in your faith? What comes to mind? Most of us think that we have to "lose our life" to
show true courage in our faith.
But check this out. We don't have to lose our life. We are called to be courageous and share our story with others. That is a definition of courage that most of us don't think about. It is about sharing what we have seen and heard.
Let's check out the scripture for a reference.
In the book of Acts, there is the story of Peter healing a crippled man at the temple gate (Acts Chapter 3). After he performs the miracle, the priests and the temple guards came and took Peter (and John) and put them in jail. The Priests were worried because so many people were talking about the miracle and hearing about how it was done in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth.
The High Priests and Elders called for Peter and John to be brought forward and began to question them......"By what power or name did you do this?" they asked.
Peter responded that it was in the name of Jesus Christ that the crippled man was now standing before them. The same Jesus that they crucified and then raised from the dead three days later.
"When the High Priests saw the the courage of Peter and John and realized they were unschooled and ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus" Acts 4:13-15. So they let them go but told them to never speak of this again.
However Peter and John replied...."Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God's sight to obey you rather than God. For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard".
You see, having courage in our faith is not just about standing up for Jesus. It is about our willingness to share with others about what we have seen and heard. It is about sharing our story. It is telling others about the before and after "you". It is what Peter and John were doing that day. Two unschooled and ordinary men.......showing courage because they knew what they had seen and heard was true. They had been transformed by Jesus. They were changed.
Each of us has a story to share of what we have personally seen and heard in our life.....and how the Lord was there during the suffering, redemption, and celebrations. We have all seen and heard HIM in our lives.
We just have to have the courage to share it.
S&H,
-S
Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong. Do everything in love.
1 Cor 16:3
No comments:
Post a Comment