Courage Born of Faith by Dr. D. James Kennedy
“…Be of good cheer. I have overcome the world.” John 16:33
I like the story about a man walked to the drug store and when he
entered the store, he found himself in the middle of a holdup. The
robber, gun in hand said to him, “Give me your wallet and your keys, or
I’ll shoot.”
This man said, “I just finished reading the Scriptures, and I just finished my prayers, so go ahead, shoot.”
The robber was astonished. He didn’t know what to do, so he turned and ran out the door.
Now there was a courage born out of faith. All that robber could do to him was simply send him on a first class ticket to Heaven—no cancer, no stroke, no lingering disease, no debilitating old age—but a first class ticket to heaven.
Of course, what that robber probably realized is that if he pulled that trigger, what he could do for himself was get a ticket straight to the electric chair and then to hell. So he ran.
Obviously, we are not called to a foolish presumptuous life that takes needless risks. That is not wisdom. But, as Christians, we need not live our lives in cowering fear.
Jesus Christ has overcome the world, and this life is but a second compared to all eternity.
Because we know Jesus came to earth as a baby, grew to be a sinless God / Man, bore our sins to Calvary and redeemed us from the penalty of sin, we need have no fear of death. We know that death is merely a door through which we pass when we go from life to life eternal.
Thank You, Lord, for Your death and resurrection, which transform our own death from an event fraught with fear to an event filled with hope.
Thank You, dear Babe of Bethlehem, for lying in a manger of straw, then dying upon a cruel cross so we may be with You forever in glory.
This man said, “I just finished reading the Scriptures, and I just finished my prayers, so go ahead, shoot.”
The robber was astonished. He didn’t know what to do, so he turned and ran out the door.
Now there was a courage born out of faith. All that robber could do to him was simply send him on a first class ticket to Heaven—no cancer, no stroke, no lingering disease, no debilitating old age—but a first class ticket to heaven.
Of course, what that robber probably realized is that if he pulled that trigger, what he could do for himself was get a ticket straight to the electric chair and then to hell. So he ran.
Obviously, we are not called to a foolish presumptuous life that takes needless risks. That is not wisdom. But, as Christians, we need not live our lives in cowering fear.
Jesus Christ has overcome the world, and this life is but a second compared to all eternity.
Because we know Jesus came to earth as a baby, grew to be a sinless God / Man, bore our sins to Calvary and redeemed us from the penalty of sin, we need have no fear of death. We know that death is merely a door through which we pass when we go from life to life eternal.
Thank You, Lord, for Your death and resurrection, which transform our own death from an event fraught with fear to an event filled with hope.
Thank You, dear Babe of Bethlehem, for lying in a manger of straw, then dying upon a cruel cross so we may be with You forever in glory.
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