Courageous people

Trusting and serving God gives the Christian courage to face the adversities of life. Courage means the ability to do something frightening. Courageous means that you are not deterred by danger or pain; you have strength in the face of pain or grief.

Courageous examples are found in Elijah, who opposed the false prophets of the Baal in 1 Kings 18, Daniel, who refused to defile himself with the king’s food in Daniel 1, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who refused to bow down to the image Nebuchadnezzar built in Daniel 3; Peter and John, who refused to stop preaching about Jesus in the face of imprisonment in Acts 4; Stephen, who held fast his faith when being killed for the cause of Christ in Acts 7, or Paul, who defended himself before a hostile crowd in Jerusalem in Acts 21.

Knowing that these people went through what they did gives me encouragement that I can stand when the time comes to do so. I share this devotion with many of my brothers and sisters in Christ. But sadly, some are not even motivated enough to attend or participate in the work of God’s kingdom. If called upon to stand, would they? Their past performance would argue the negative. A child of God can take courage (John 16:33), but courage desperately needs faithfulness. Build yourself up in “the most holy faith” (Jude 20), and then be courageous like people of faith were in the past when the time calls for it.

Kyle Campbell