Facing Life With Courage And Faith

"Today's Devotion" For April 5, 2006

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

FACING LIFE WITH COURAGE AND FAITH

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

By now, you're no doubt familiar with the news accounts about the Afghan man who was sentenced to death in an Afghan court for converting to Christianity and, thus, insulting Islam. He had come to believe in Jesus as his Lord and Savior sixteen years ago while serving with an international Christian group as a medical aid worker. They provided humanitarian medical relief to Afghan refugees on the Pakistan/
Afghanistan border. After a thirteen year absence the man returned home in 2002 with the intention of gaining custody of his children who had been living with their grandparents their whole lives. a battle for custody ensued and the matter was taken to the police. During questioning it was found that the man was a Christian and was carrying a Bible. He was immediately arrested and charged with "insulting Islam" because of his conversion.

Today, the man has been set free, having been judged "insane" by the Afghanistan court. The determination of his "insanity" is based on his refusal to deny Jesus and become a Moslem once again and his stated willingness to die because of his faith. He is quoted as stating that "I am serene. I have full awareness of what I have chosen. If I must die, I will die. Somebody, a long time ago, did it for all of us." Sadly, even though the court has dropped the charges against him, Moslem clerics have threatened to call for people to kill him because he has denied Islam. On top of that, the Afghanistan parliament sought to prevent him from leaving the country. He's currently in Italy, having received asylum through the intervention of an Italian official and the Pope.

Talk about obstacles in one's life! Put into perspective, the troubles and obstacles we face in our daily lives are relatively minor in comparison to what our Afghan brother has been facing. Yet, we do face obstacles, which in our circumstances can seem quite formidable. For many people, things which threaten our sense of security or our daily routines are a "royal pain-in-the-neck." We'd like things to go smoothly. When they don't negativity and a sense of failure often follow. We find that obstacles can be quite costly to our personal goals when they disrupt our plans for achieving them.

We can learn much about facing obstacles and putting them in perspective from our Afghan brother. All too often we let obstacles overwhelm us and get the better of us. Rather than taking these obstacles before God in prayer and trusting that He can and will see us through difficult times, we tend to try to overcome them by ourselves, often falling flat on our faces. What's so vital for us to remember is that in facing any obstacle in life, any challenge to our well-being, and any threat to our health and spiritual life looking to Jesus is the best place to look for strength and courage to overcome. When we believe we're facing an insurmountable obstacle, just think of the obstacles Jesus faced to redeem us from Sin, Death, and Satan. He humbled Himself, Paul reminds us in Philippians 2, to take on our nature and be all that we have failed to be in our relationship with God. He met every obstacle to accomplishing our salvation with the same trust and courage in His Father as He offers to us.

Trusting in Jesus, then, we are able to face life with courage and faith. Following Jesus' example of faithfulness to the Father, we are empowered to overcome and persevere in the face of any obstacle, any challenge to our faith, any threat to our security. We don't stand alone - we have our Lord and the Body of Christ to stand with us. Facing life with courage and faith in Jesus, we live with the confident assurance that nothing, nor anyone, can separate us from God's love. That's the hope and confidence of every believer in Christ - from our Afghan brother to our sister in Christ living next door. Thus, we need not fear failure nor any harm that may come our way, because Jesus has overcome the world and brought us into the kingdom of heaven.

Prayer: Father, in Jesus, Your only begotten Son, You have given me the perfect example of what it means to face life with courage and faith. He lived that example when He walked the earth in order to accomplish my salvation. Father, I pray that You would empower me by Your Word and Spirit to live my life as Jesus did, with courage and faith in You. Help me to overcome every trial and temptation that comes my way, and keep me from being afraid of any danger that threatens my faith and relationship with Jesus. Above all, Father, help me to be a living example to others of what it means to live with courage and faith in Jesus - to show others the fullness of life and the peace that Your love, grace, mercy, and forgiveness bring to those who believe. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
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--Pastor Boeck

Copyright © 2006 Rev. Richard J. Boeck, Jr. All rights reserved.