Courage

Courage:

Crawford Loritts has recently preached a message with the root concept that nothing ever gets done without courage.  Courage has its source in God who is Almighty.  As followers of Jesus Christ, we can only have the courage to do anything of value when we seek the Lord’s courage.  Dr. Loritts considers Joshua as the example and refers to the well-known and often quoted challenge of God given to Joshua: “Have I not commanded you?  Be strong and courageous.  Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9)  For the Lord your God is with you is the reason to have courage.  It is not irrational or mystical but is based on the reality of God’s perfect presence.

Ministry in any place can be discouraging.  Ministry in a rural context in a community that is slowly contracting comes with its own set of discouragements.  Even so, I preach this to myself: Do not be discouraged because the Lord is with me wherever I go.

SDG

January 31, 2013