Welcome Back!
Last time, I started talking about courage along with the story of Joshua and how his courage led to the Israelite conquering of the promised land.
Today I’ll wrap up the story of Joshua. I will also talk about being strong despite our struggles. I’ll finish with a scripture passage about the ultimate example of courage.
Following God, No Matter What
God told Joshua to be courageous and he was! Joshua had struggles, but that didn’t stop him from accomplishing his mission. He trusted God to fulfill his promise to the Israelites.
Hebrews 11:30 says this, “By faith the walls of Jericho fell after the people marched around them for seven days.”
Faith in God’s plan is what brought the Israelites to victory. God saw their weakness and knew they couldn’t do it on their own, so He blessed them as a result of their trust in Him. It was Joshua’s trust in God that made him courageous. Joshua wasn’t perfect, but God worked through his failures in a way that helped him lead those around him.
Troubles in the World
When we have courage it doesn’t mean there won’t be trouble.
The Bible warns us of these difficulties in Mathew 24:9-14. “Then they will hand you over to be persecuted and will kill you. You will be hated by all the nations because of my name. Then many will be led into sin, and they will betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will appear and deceive many, and because lawlessness will increase so much, the love of many will grow cold. But the person who endures to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached throughout the whole inhabited earth as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.”
That’s a pretty heavy passage, but it doesn’t end in hardship. God promises that those who endure persecution will be saved, and God keeps promises. The persecution won’t be for not. As a result of enduring hardship, the gospel will be spread to the whole world.
The only way we can make it through all the struggles in this world is by courageously standing strong in our faith and defending it with all that we have. God has a job for us to do and He provides us with all we need to succeed. Yes, there will be struggles, but God’s plans always succeed. Hitler’s promise for a thousand-year Reich only lasted twelve years. Joseph Stalin’s goal for communist Russia ultimately failed. All other evil leaders in opposition to God’s plan have or will fail.
Joseph Pearce, from the Imaginative Conservative, wrote, “Although secular fundamentalist “progressives” might believe in a future “golden age,” such an age does not exist. The future that they herald is merely one of gathering gloom and ever-darkening clouds…They have nothing to expect in the future but their fall.”
Be Strong and Courageous
We have a job to do while we’re on earth. The Bible makes that clear.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “If a man hasn’t found something he will die for, he isn’t fit to live.” King understood what God called him to do, and he did it.
We have reason to be hopeful for our future. All the dark and evil things in the world point to God’s redeeming work through his son, Jesus. Despite all the terrible events throughout history the church has always been a bright light. All counterfeits of the gospel eventually die.
The faith found in the West has moved (and is moving) through the whole world, triumphing over it.
Ultimate Courage
The ultimate picture of courage is found in Jesus.
Philippians 2:6-11 says, “…who, though he existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be grasped, but emptied himself by taking on the form of a slave, by looking like other men, and by sharing in human nature. He humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death—even death on a cross! As a result, God highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow—in heaven and on earth and under the earth—and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.”
If that isn’t courage, I don’t know what is.
Until next time…
You amaze us, Sam. You have the ability to write in a way that is understandable. Keep up the good work, Bud. Nana