OUR DAILY BREAD : COURAGE: LIVE IT

[cimi]

February 19
Tuesday


COURAGE:
LIVE IT

READ:
2 Timothy 1:6-12
__________________________________

God has not given
us a spirit of fear, but
of power.
__2 Timothy 1:7
__________________________________

Courage is one thing you need if you want to get God's work done. That's what I said when I spoke in a church service in Jamaica. I told the people that according to 2 Timothy 1:7, God did not give us a spirit of timidity but a spirit of power.

A couple of days later, I stood 35 feet above the water on the edge of the Caribbean Sea. Should I jump off the precipice into the waters below? The teenagers who were with me said, "Yes!" Most of them had already done so. One told me, "Mr. Branon, if you don't jump, you can't preach about courage again." I knew that sometimes the courageous thing is not to go along with the crowd. But this time, I jumped.

Courage makes a good theory, but sometimes we need help to practice it. We have many opportunities to step out of our comfort zone to serve God. When we don't have courage, we need to be reminded of God's promise in 2 Timothy, and we need others' encouragement to take the leap.

Perhaps you need someone to tell you: Volunteer for that job at church__they need you. Have lunch with your coworker to discuss matters of faith. Or join that small group.

Be courageous for Jesus. Sometimes it takes just that first step of courage to serve our majestic God. __Dave Branon
_____________________________________________________________

```````````Lord, give me the courage to rise above fear,````````````
``````````````Even of danger, because You are near;``````````````
`````````````````I would be faithful to face any foe```````````````
``````````````While I am walking with You here below.`````````````
_____________________________________________________________

Courage will follow when faith takes the lead.

************Today's Bible Reading __ 2 Timothy 1:6-12*************

6 Therefore I remind you
to stir up the gift of God
which is in you through
the laying on of my hands.

7 For God has not given us
a spirit of fear, but of power
and of love and of a sound
mind.

8 Therefore do not be
ashamed of the testimony
of our Lord, nor of me His
prisoner, but share with me
in the sufferings for the
gospel according to the
power of God, 9 who has
saved us and called us with
a holy calling, not
according to our works, but
according to His own
purpose and grace which
was given to us in Christ
Jesus before time began,

10 but has now been
revealed by the appearing
of our Savior Jesus Christ,
who has abolished death
and brought life and
immortality to light through
the gospel, 11 to which I
was appointed a preacher,
an apostle, and a teacher of
the Gentiles. 12 For this
reason I also suffer these
things; nevertheless I am
not ashamed, for I know
whom I have believed and
am persuaded that He is
able to keep what I have
committed to Him until
that Day.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>INSIGHT<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

In John 16:33, Jesus comforted His disciples: "In the world you will
have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world."
Elsewhere in the Gospels, both Bartimaeus (Mark 10:49) and the
paralytic were told, "Be of good cheer" (Matt. 9:2). The Greek word
translated "be of good cheer" in these instances means "to have
courage, to take heart, or to have confidence." The ultimate triumph
of Christ over sin and death is the basis for taking heart in a fallen
world. Paul reminds us that "God has not given us a spirit of fear,
but of power and of love and of a sound mind" (2 Tim. 1:7). __HDF