Monday, June 22, 2020

Pass It On - Courage




Pass it On - Courage
What is Courage? The kind of strength required for courage has nothing to do with muscle. Courage is different from power. Courage is having the ability to NOT use physical force but to stand up against those who do. Truly courageous men are tough-willed but kind-spirited. Courage implies firmness of mind and will in the face of danger or extreme difficulty. – Brother Van

Using physical strength, or fists, to resolve problems is never the right answer. Sometimes courage is having the strength to walk away – even in the face of humiliation and taunting. What we need to teach our kids and to pass on to the generations that follow is that violence is not the courageous way. The courageous thing to do is always to do the right thing. People mistake a man who fights as a strong, brave man, when in reality, it might just be a cowardly man hiding behind his fists. It requires far more strength to control anger than to let it out, without thought, and with flailing fists.

Solomon’s father, David, was dying and some of his last words to his son were be strong and prove yourself a man. David himself had learned many lessons and imparted much wisdom. He knew that physical strength is not what makes a man truly strong. David wished for his son to be strong in the Lord, and he knew from experience that he would need strength from the Lord to endure life’s battles. These battles are not the kind that require physical weapons, but spiritual ones. It is not the physical battles of life that wear us down and destroy as much as the spiritual ones, and brute strength is of no use on these battlefields.

David was passing on the crown to his son. He wanted his son to seek the courage of the Lord that would make him strong. Passing on courage is done by embracing and living by the Word of God, filtering our lives through its commands, and standing on the foundation of our beliefs. The convictions of these beliefs will also give us courage. If there is anything in our lives that does not line up with the Word of God, and His commandments, then we can 100 percent believe that it is not His will for us. He will never lead us into something that does not line up with His word. It takes courage to follow God wherever He leads us. Solomon did this at first, but later he allowed things into his life that did not line up with God’s words and it was his downfall. That is really what we should want to protect our kids and grandkids from the most. Courage will help them learn to stand for what is right and what is true. We can make sure they know where to find that courage and truth – from the Lord.





Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.
1 Corinthians 16:13

Devotional Archive