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Wednesday, March 01, 2006

Be Strong and Courageous

I was reading my At the Well Conversations post below and whining because no one would give me any tips, and the God of the universe gave me one:

7 For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power,
of love and of self-discipline.

8 So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord, or ashamed of me his
prisoner. But join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of
God, 9 who has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of
anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This
grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, 10 but
it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ
Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to
light through the gospel. 11 And of this gospel I was appointed a herald
and an apostle and a teacher. 12 That is why I am suffering as I am. Yet
I am not ashamed, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced
that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day.
(I Timothy 1:7-12)

Also:

5 The LORD will deliver them to you, and you must do to them all that I have commanded you. 6 Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you."
(Deuteronomy 31:6)


Did God not say: Be my witness? Don't light a candle and hide it under a bushel? What is whispered in your ear, shout from the rooftops? If I wanted to find justification for witnessing to Christ in my world, I could find it in abundance. The only place that I can readily think of that tells me not to is: Don't throw your pearls before swine or they will trample them underfoot and then turn and devour you. I'm not sure we can recognize swine without help. I was very swinish back in the day.

So, I prayerfully go out into the field with my bag of seed. I want to sow bountifully. I will be speaking with abandon today. I will not abandon the gospel. I will not abandon truth. I will abandon my self, my self image. I would rather die than forsake my Lord.

Pray for me.

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