Living Strong and Courageous Lives of Faith

"Today's Devotion" for March 15, 2005

Read: Hebrews 12:1-3
Philippians 2:5-11

LIVING STRONG AND COURAGEOUS LIVES OF FAITH

"Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong." (I Cor.16:13)

Overcoming obstacles isn't one of my favorite pastimes. I've known people, and perhaps so have you, that relished a good challenge. I've known people that actually seemed to look for the toughest way to accomplish something, rather than the easiest. To me, any obstacles that get in the way of accomplishing an objective are a nuisance. I really dislike them. If I can avoid obstacles I will do so with every fiber of my being. My personal observation tells me that I'm not alone in this feeling. For many people, obstacles are "royal pains-in-the- neck." Unfortunately, obstacles, challenges, and setbacks are real, common denominators in almost every human endeavor. Such things can be costly if they upset the achievement of a goal or dream. Obstacles to accomplishing goals and dreams can often have a negative effect on one's attitude, sense of purpose, and sense of accomplishment. I know that I've been sorely tempted to "quit" on projects because the obstacles have seemed just too overwhelming.

While people everywhere recognize that obstacles, challenges, and setbacks occur in daily living, the people of God realize that such things also exist in our spiritual lives as well. There are so many obstacles that can get in the way of our relationship with God. Living in a loving and forgiven relationship with our Father in heaven, just as the rest of life, is fraught with all sorts of challenges and setbacks because of our sinfulness. We get overwhelmed by the challenges that Sin lays before us each day, whether it's in the secular or sacred realms, because our first inclination is to look to our own resources for strength to overcome and achieve. As a result we are frequently overwhelmed, and what we do accomplish often ends up being less than it can be and also less than pleasing to God. To get a handle on handling obstacles in all of life and living there's no better place to look than to Jesus. I'm often encouraged when I realize that there's no obstacle that I can experience, whether sacred or spiritual, that can compare with the obstacles Jesus faced. He had to overcome Sin, Death, and Satan in order to redeem us and the whole world for the Father. Our Lord Jesus Christ had to become one of us to save us, so the second person of the Trinity, God's own Son, took on human flesh and placed Himself under the Father's Will as the perfectly obedient Son we all have failed to be. He humbled Himself, Paul reminds us in Philippians 2, took on our nature and became all that we're supposed to be before God, in order to bring us into a loving, living, and saving with God.

St. Paul reminds the Philippian Christians, as the writer to the Hebrews reminds them, that Jesus' example of faithfulness to the Father is the way for us to overcome and persevere in the face of any obstacle we face. No matter whether we face physical, emotional, mental, or spiritual obstacles and challenges in our lives, there's none we can't overcome with the Lord's help, none that can prevent us from doing God's Will, and none that can keep us from His love, grace, mercy, and forgiveness in Christ. St. Paul encourages us to be courageous and strong in the Lord as we follow Jesus' perfect example of faith and perseverance in service to the Father. We don't need to be afraid of failure or any physical or spiritual danger because our Lord Jesus Christ has overcome the world and brought us into a restored relationship with our Father in heaven. There is nothing that can take us away from Him or prevent His love and forgiveness in our lives.

Prayer: Father, I give You humble and hearty thanks that You sent Jesus to redeem me from Sin and to show me that there's nothing than can keep me from serving You and accomplishing Your purpose for my life. By the power of Your Word and Spirit, daily remembered in my Baptism, help me to be courageous in all my life and living so that I might be an effective witness to Your love and forgiveness in Christ Jesus. Keep me from feeling overwhelmed by the trials and temptations of this world. Give me the strength and wisdom that come only from You to face the obstacles and challenges to my faith that put themselves in my path everyday. Lead me to be courageous in my walk of faith that I might show others Your love and be a witness of Your power. Hear me Father for the sake of Christ my Lord and Savior. Amen.
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--Pastor Boeck

Copyright © 2005 Rev. Richard J. Boeck, Jr. All rights reserved.