Daily Devotions
Courageous Faith
Title: `````````````````````````````qw2
Reading for December 3: 1 Corinthians 14-16
Weekly reading for December 2-8: John 11-15
Nevertheless, many even of the authorities believed in him, but for fear of the Pharisees they did not confess it, so that they would not be put out of the synagogue...
John 12:42
Do you ever feel like a wimp? I'm not talking about being a physical wimp (someone who backs away from a fight or allows a bully to steal his lunch money). I'm talking about being a spiritual wimp.
A spiritual wimp is someone who tries to hide his light. He doesn't want to stand out. He desperately wants to just blend in to the crowd. He walks the other way when the subject of religion comes up. He avoids the talkative Christian at the supermarket because they might bring up Jesus. He won't invite Christians who are truly on fire for the Lord to a cookout if non-Christian friends will be there.
So for all you spiritual wimps (and I am preaching to myself now), I challenge you to grow a backbone and do something courageous for the Lord this week:
- Share something about your faith. This can be simply telling about something God has done for you in your life.
- Carry your Bible to work, school, or some other public place and read it where people will see you reading. If you want to be crazy, ask someone sitting near you if they would like to read with you.
- Find someone who is poor, hungry, depressed, rejected, neglected, hurting, or just generally broken and ask them how they are doing. Listen carefully. Listen as long as they are willing to talk. Then ask if they would like for you to pray with them. (And I mean pray with them, not just for them. Bow your heads together wherever you are and pray to the Lord in specific ways for them and their problems.)
- Serve someone who needs help (perhaps the individual you just prayed with above) and then offer to get together to read the Bible and pray with them on a regular basis. (Just make this a habit. You'll be amazed how many people will accept the offer.)
- Pray for a spirit of courage.
Father God, grant us courage that we might step out in faith and help someone today!
