An Anchor for the Soul

“We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where Jesus, who went before us, has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.” Hebrews 6:19, 20

We understand that the great Abrahamic Covenant [God’s promise to Abram when he departed Haran, as recorded in Genesis 12:1-3, that he would make a great nation from Abram and bless all the peoples on earth] was made to a man who had no physical offspring. We also understand that the reiterations of the covenant promise were also made when he still had no children [Genesis 13:14-17]. Another ten years in the land go by and Abram still had no children, when one fateful day while suffering from post-battle fatigue incurred from defending the land from four kings [Genesis 14], he drifted off to sleep. Suddenly God spoke: “Do not be afraid, Abram, I am your shield, your very great reward” [Genesis 15:1]. Despite these rallying words, Abram, still discouraged, voiced his fear that because he was childless his estate would go to his servant. At this low point, God spoke to him, “‘A son coming from your own body will be your heir.’ He took him outside and said, ‘Look at the heavens and count the stars – if indeed you can count them’ Then He said to him, ‘So shall your offspring be’” [15:4,5]. Abram’s response sealed his fate as the father of our faith: “Abram believed the Lord, and He credited it to him as righteousness” [15:6]. The aged patriarch rested everything on God’s Word. As a result, he was declared righteous apart from works, fourteen years before circumcision [Genesis 17] and hundreds of years before the Law!

Finally, Abraham and Sarah were given their dream in baby Isaac – and in that little boy, soon grown to manhood, they saw the promise in full bloom. Yet there was one more test and perfection awaiting the patriarch’s faith. Abraham was well over 100 years old according to Genesis 22, when God said to him, “‘Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about’” [22:2]. Easily, this is the most shocking command ever given to any human being by God! We can imagine the numbing horror that must have spread over Abraham’s soul. This makes his ready obedience almost as equally shocking, because with the first glow of dawn, without a word to aged Sarah, Abraham saddled his donkey, quietly called for two servants and his son Isaac, split wood for the sacrificial pyre, and began the terrible journey [v. 3]. How could he do it? We wonder. Our text gives us the answer: “On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. He said to his servants, ‘Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you’” [vv. 4,5]. Abraham was confident they would return together! This was because, as the writer of Hebrews reveals, “Abraham reasoned that God could raise the dead, and figuratively speaking, he did receive Isaac back from death” [11:19; vv. 17-18].

Imagine the poignant exchange between father and son as they ascended Mt. Moriah – Isaac’s dawning realization that he was the sacrifice – the construction of the altar – Isaac’s voluntary submission to his father as he was bound – the sobbing, the kisses, the tears, the terrible blade in the father’s trembling hand – the nausea, the darkness – the imminent convulsions of his only son – all this shows the tip of Abraham’s emotions as he faithfully carried out God’s will. Then with the blade poised for descent, the angel of Heaven called out, “Abraham! Abraham!” and we know the rest of the story in all its tender redemptive glory. But do we remember the final pronouncement of the angel of the Lord – because it has everything to do with our text in Hebrews: “I swear by Myself, declares the Lord, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me” [Genesis 22:16-18].

The significance of this from the perspective of the writer of Hebrews is that whereas God had repeatedly promised Abraham he would make a great nation from him, He here swore an oath to do so. Here in Hebrews 6 tells us: “When God made His promise to Abraham, since there was no one greater for Him to swear by, He swore by Himself, saying, ‘I will surely bless you and give you many descendants.’” God was so pleased with Abraham’s supreme act of faith that He did something He had never done before – He swore that the promise would come to pass. The pertinence of this to the little Hebrew church as it braced for the tempests ahead is expressed in the next line: “And so after waiting patiently, Abraham received what was promised” [v. 15]. This is an implicit call to the church for a faith that is so firm it enables steadfastness through the uneven seas of life. Abraham’s faith saw the unseen. He saw a living God who was sovereign in all of life – he saw his sacrificed son resurrected and living on – he saw himself fathering a sea of humanity – he saw blessing for the whole earth. And because he saw this, he was gloriously long-suffering through many years.

Many wonder why the God of the universe would swear an oath when He had already given the promise repeatedly. Regarding human oaths the writer says, “Men swear by someone greater than themselves, and the oath confirms what is said and puts an end to all argument” [Hebrews 6:16]. This is essentially why God chose to swear by an oath. God did not have to swear by an oath, but He did so as a condescension or accommodation to human weakness. Of course, in choosing to make an oath, He could only choose to swear by Himself because there was nothing or no one higher to swear by. And why was God so premeditative about making His oath? Verse 18 answers, “God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope offered to us may be greatly encouraged.” This is powerful encouragement indeed because the “two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie” are His word of promise and His oath. His promise to Abraham, and to us, can do nothing but come true because God’s “Word is truth” [John 17:17] and because God “does not lie” [Titus 1:2]. He is the author of truth, the essence of truth. His oath, though unnecessary, is the double assurance that He cannot lie. Truth has sworn by truth that its truth shall truly be fulfilled. His Word is eternally sealed with the double surety of promise and oath.

Because of this, “the hope” we have fled to and take hold of is sure. We must understand that it is an objective hope, and not the subjective, sentimental optimism the world so readily embraces. It is true that optimism is certainly better than pessimism. Yet, blind, secular optimism flourishes best where the ground is shallow and without the real difficulties of life. Optimism is good for the body, but it will not save us. I have seen a number of hopeful, optimistic people die, many of whom were cancer patients. Looking at the bright side of things may seem bold and brave, but if it involves a foolish neglect of facts that suggest the opposite, it only makes the subsequent failure more bitter. Bankruptcies often visit those who insist on only looking at the bright side of their finances without considering the potential negative possibilities.

However, the hope spoken of here by the writer of Hebrews does not originate within us, but comes from the outside. New Testament scholar William Lane says categorically, “In Hebrews, the word ‘hope’ never describes a subjective attitude [i.e. ‘our hope’ or ‘hopefulness’] but always denotes the objective context of hope.” Here our hope centers on the objective promises of God, which are fleshed out for us in the ultimate blessing of the world through Jesus Christ. The “hope offered to us” comes from the fact that we are in Christ, the Son who fulfilled Abraham’s covenant – and that at the last we will be with Christ and like Christ [John 14:3, 1 John 3:2]. Jesus is the foundation and the substance of our hope.

Now, having God’s Word for it, He gives us His “anchor” – a metaphor which suggests deepest security: “We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where Jesus, who went before us, has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek” [vv. 19, 20]. To appreciate what is said here, we must remember that the curtain was a thickly woven piece of tapestry hung between the inner and outer chambers of the Tabernacle. No one could see through the curtain, and the Holy of Holies was inaccessible to all but the high priest, who passed within only once a year. It was between these two compartments of the Tabernacle – the Holy Place representing the earthly worshipping life of God’s people, and the Holy of Holies representing God’s presence – that the curtain hung. Together, these two sides of the curtain symbolize living spiritual realities – God’s presence in Heaven and the storm-tossed church worshipping below [Hebrews 9].

But then an anchor is hurled from the Church. But instead of falling to the depths, it rises through the blue skies and on up through the heavens where it passes unhindered through the curtain and anchors onto the throne of God in the heavenly Holy of Holies where Jesus is seated “at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven” [Hebrews 1:3]. Our lives are accessed and anchored in Heaven! The significance of this was immediate in the ancient world because an anchor was everything to those at sea. A firm anchorage meant security. Well-anchored, the winds could blow, but the ship would not be awash or headed for the rocks. But there is something more, for there is another anchor who has pierced the veil, one who actually tore it in two – Jesus. “Jesus, who went before us, has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek” [v. 20, Matthew 27:50, 51]. We are anchored in the Father’s presence for eternity – and Jesus at His right hand perpetually intercedes for His Church. His continual priestly prayer for us is the medium for our survival.

He is there as the one “who went before us” – literally as our prodromos, our “forerunner.” Just as forerunners were sent to explore the way for those who would follow, Christ, our prodromos, has gone ahead of us to prepare the way [see John 14:2-4]. If we are true followers of Christ, the bows of our boats will always be treading heavy seas and bucking contrary winds. The disciples found this out when they obeyed Jesus and launched out in the night for the other side of the Sea of Galilee. The reason they were in stormy waters was that they were doing what Jesus said [see Matthew 14:22-32]. It has always been this way. Abraham’s ships – his camels and desert schooners – were always facing contrary winds, “For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God” [Hebrews 11:10]. Paul concurs when he writes, “Everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” [2 Timothy 3:12]. But we are not flotsam on the tides. We have a hope – a hope outside ourselves – an anchor for the soul.

The Greatness of Servanthood

“Train yourself to serve God … serving God helps you in every way by bringing you blessing in this life and in the life to come.” 1 Timothy 4:7b-8

Servanthood is not God’s way to get us to the place where we will only be served; it is both the way and the life of the kingdom of God.

Jesus is without ambiguity when He tells us that He is the way, the truth, and the life and that no one comes to the Father except by Him [John 14:6]. His invitation is to join an revolution. If we choose to follow Him, there will be within us a transformation of the soul. He will do nothing less than translate us from a kingdom of emptiness into His kingdom where we will begin to live in a new reality.

The way of God is the path of servanthood. This is not a test to see if we deserve better. It is God offering us the best of Himself and the best of life. God calls us to be servants because God is a servant.

God stands alone as Creator and Redeemer. He also stands there as Servant. He created us to be creative. He invites us to reconcile men to Himself. He also calls us to choose the path of servanthood. This is not about religion; it is about revolution [Galatians 5:1-6].

On this journey we discover that not only does humility lead to integrity and integrity lead to courage, that gratitude leads to wholeness, which results in generosity, but we also will discover that faithfulness develops perseverance, which grows us in wisdom. As we grow in humility, gratitude, and faithfulness, we find ourselves with the strength of character to endure the greatest hardships and overcome our greatest challenges. Our capacity to be resilient will increase as we journey deeper into these virtues. When we are resilient, we have an inexplicable capacity to recover from illness, adversity, and even depression.

As we grow in integrity, wholeness, and perseverance, we find integration in our lives. In a world filled with brokenness, the capacity to integrate all the pieces of our lives is critical for our health. This is part of God’s promise in the work of transformation. The ultimate end of character transformation is not freedom from sin, but freedom to once again be all that God designed for us to become.

As we grow in generosity, we become generative and creative in our contribution to the good of others. When we walk in the wisdom of God, we see the hidden possibilities and opportunities missed by so many others. Wisdom always finds a way. It is the foundation of intellectual creativity and innovation.

When we fear God, we find the freedom and the courage to pursue dreams far too big for ourselves, yet courage is the only hope for great dreams. It is here where the synergistic interplay of courage, wisdom and generosity make us most creative. Once again, God’s gift to us is Himself. The character of God, the beauty of His personhood, the expression of His goodness, He longs to share with us. What would the world look like, what would we look like, if we became like Him? The One who wrapped a towel around His waist and washed His disciples’ feet invites us to become like Him in His servanthood. This is the ultimate destination, to become the person God dreams of and to share those dreams with others.

“You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature, rather, serve one another humbly in love. For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself’” [Galatians 5:13-14].

The Divine Imagination: Wisdom, Part 2

The future is the sum total of all the choices that are made in the present and in the past. Fortunately, that sum total includes the choices made by God. A significant aspect of wisdom is having a future orientation. Wisdom gives us a perspective that always looks toward the future from the present and always looks from the future to the present.

From the vantage point of the fool, the world appears to exist in isolated units. The connection between the absentee father and the promiscuous daughter remains undetected. The relationship between bitterness toward our parents and coldness toward our children is unperceived. The repercussions of extramarital infidelity is never linked to premarital promiscuity. Debt remains unconnected to greed; violence remains unconnected to hate; the loss of hope remains unconnected from the loss of faith.

Wisdom sees everything in life as interconnected. Wisdom does not allow us to stand apart from the rest of the world. Wisdom sees all of life through relationships – our relationships to God, to others, to nature, and more. It is recognizing that our best selves can only be discovered when we consider others above ourselves.

Over the generations, wisdom has become more and more about ideas than living. Philosophy is literally the love of wisdom, but little of wisdom’s original essence is left in that discipline. It is so much easier to escape to Walden Pond and contemplate the meaning of life than it is to return from it and really live. Wisdom frees us from living disconnected lives. Wisdom frees us from superstitions that constrain us and broken relationships that cripple us.

Wisdom transforms the way we see reality. It sees no distinction between the physical and the spiritual. God created the material universe, and He declared it good. Even in a fallen world, wisdom sees the good that will come through choices made. This distinct view of reality known as wisdom is nothing less than seeing life from God’s vantage point. The epicenter of all wisdom is God Himself.

The Scriptures remind us that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of all wisdom. Then what exactly does this mean? When we fear God, we fear nothing else. It is only in the fear of God that we find ourselves free from the fear of death, of failure, and of all the other fears that bind us.

When the fear of God is absent from our lives, we become slaves to lesser fears, and it is these fears that become the boundaries of our lives. When we fear God, we are subject only to Him. We align ourselves to love and truth. We are never afraid to love or forgive when we fear God. We are never afraid to face the truth or speak the truth when we fear God. We live with a calm assurance that in all these things God finds great pleasure.

The fear of God is the beginning of all wisdom, for only in this place are we forced to face ourselves and see ourselves for who we really are. When we are followers of Jesus Christ, we are committed to follow the truth wherever it leads us. This fear of God frees us to risk, to fail, to dream, and to attempt great things.

When we fear God, we understand that we have come to Him in a condition of sinfulness. We know God as not only a God of holiness but also a God of infinite compassion. We live with the knowledge of His grace. We bask in the promise that "if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us of all our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" [1 John 1:9].

It is only in the fear of God that we are truly free. We see God for who He really is. We see ourselves for who we really are. We understand the condition of the world in which we live. And we are enlightened to see a world, or dare I say, a kingdom, that is to come. Wisdom understands the heart of God. The woman of wisdom, that man who is wise, such people embrace that heart and live by it. Only here are we truly free.

The Divine Imagination: Wisdom, Part 1

"Wisdom calls aloud in the street, she raises her voice in the public squares; at the head of the noisy streets she cries out, in the gateways of the city she makes her speech: “How long will you simple ones love your simple ways? How long will mockers delight in mockery and fools hate knowledge? If you had responded to my rebuke, I would have poured out my heart to you and made my thoughts known to you.” -- Proverbs 1:20-23

When we fear God and nothing else, we discover the freedom to pursue great adventure.

God calls us to lives that cannot be lived without wisdom. While many of us long for God to give us a map so that we can simply follow it, He instead gives us a compass that points us to the way. What we continually ask for is to know God’s will for our lives; what God continually offers us is His wisdom for our lives. So critical is wisdom to the journey that God offers it as a gift to all who would desire it [James 1:5]. The heart of a fool is motivated by personal gain. The heart of wisdom is motivated by the good of others. While wisdom does not always guarantee a life of riches and honor, wisdom always produces a rich and honorable life.

Wisdom creates and produces good. Wisdom not only sees the good that must be done now, but it also catalyzes such events that result in good fortune. Wherever wisdom flows, good follows. Not everything that happens to those of us who live wisely is good, but everything that happens from those of us who live wisely is good. This doesn’t mean that walking in wisdom is painless, no far from it, but the ultimate results that flow from wisdom are health, freedom and creativity.

We can be highly educated and also be wise, but it is certainly not a given. We can be uneducated from a conventional standard and still be people of great wisdom. The converse is also true. We can accomplish great things in the academic world and live lives of foolishness.

Wisdom always finds a way through the messes we make of our lives. It doesn’t always find the easiest way, but the way marked by the footprints of God. Wisdom is the product of sacred imagination. Wisdom knows the way to true freedom. Where there is wisdom there is always hope! Wisdom simplifies. Wisdom clarifies. Wisdom untangles. Wisdom unshackles. Wisdom illuminates. Wisdom liberates. In the end, wisdom enlightens us to live lives of nobility.

Wisdom is more than simply being able to see beyond ourselves, but perhaps even more profoundly, to see within ourselves. Wisdom is the ability to cut to the core of complex issues. Wisdom not only allows us to move beyond living senseless lives; it helps us begin to make sense of our lives. The fool acts without reflection; the wise man reflects on his actions.

Wisdom becomes the ability to see choice as cause and consequence and benefit as effect. When we see our circumstances as isolated from our actions, we abdicate personal responsibility for our lives. Taken to an extreme, we hold God accountable for the consequences of our actions and can easily become embittered toward Him. It is as if we want the freedom to make choices but expect God to make certain that we do not have live with the consequences of our choices. At other times we would rather believe in luck than in responsibility, but superstition is nothing more than an improper connection between cause and effect. When we disconnect our circumstances from our choices, we choose to live powerless lives. When we embrace the interconnection between our present decisions and our future opportunities, we regain the power to set our course and to shape our journey. A proper view of cause and effect grows us in wisdom and brings greater freedom to our lives.

Wisdom refuses to surrender the freedom of the future for a temporary indulgence. Wisdom recognizes that while some opportunities are captivating, beneath the surface they are ready to take us captive. Wisdom recognizes that the inseparable relationship between cause and effect are more than a natural phenomenon, it is a spiritual reality.

“Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.” – Galatians 6:7-10

Whether the language is sowing and reaping, cause and effect, a contemporary understanding of good and bad karma, or simply understanding that what goes around comes around, wisdom begins at connecting the dots between the quality of our decisions and the quality of our lives.

-- To be continued --

The Generative Spirit: Generosity

“But since you excel in everything – in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in the love we have kindled in you – see that you also excel in this grace of giving.” 2 Corinthians 8:7

Generosity is love in action, and love is measured in giving, not taking.

Life is most enjoyed when we give ourselves away. Generous people give more than their things; they genuinely give themselves. In the most marvelous of ways, those who give most freely live most freely.

Generosity is the overflow of love. Love not only expands our heart, but it increases our capacity to give of ourselves. Jesus reminds us, “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends” [John 15:13]. The apex of generosity is sacrifice. Generosity isn’t about how much we give but how much it costs us. Generosity isn’t about counting what you’ve given in comparison to someone else. Generosity is about being free. The generous are free from the things of this world. While they own possessions, their possessions don’t own them. Their agenda is to contribute. They are investors, not consumers.

Generosity flows in so many directions. Few investments are as important as our time, and we can never overestimate the importance of being generous with praise. Generosity creates an environment for emotional health. The Scriptures remind us that the greedy stir up dissension [Proverbs 28:25], while the generous foster wholeness. Generosity is motivated by love, but greed is fueled by lust. Greed is narcissistic; generosity is Christ-like. Greed is a product of self-love; generosity is the product of selfless love. The greatest application of generosity is not financial but relational. Do we treat people as objects to be used or as gifts to be treasured?

Jesus was history’s true incurable romantic. His life and death are the standard by which all romance should be measured. His was an act of unconditional love; His life, the greatest love story ever told. To want to take is not romantic; to long to give, that’s romance. Every writer whose retelling found its way into the pages of Scripture tells the story of Jesus as God’s ultimate act of love. With love as God’s motive, it should not surprise us that the events of Jesus’ life culminated in His ultimate sacrifice. It also should not surprise us that God, who is love, acts with such immeasurable generosity.

Even one wasted life is a tragedy to God. God’s intention is to move us out of the paralysis of existence and bring us into a life that is productive and meaningful. We receive God’s grace because He is gracious. All who enter the kingdom of heaven must be certain of one thing: Admission is a gift. When you understand the generosity of God, you know that God finds no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but in fact finds pleasure when they turn from their ways and live [Ezekiel 18:23; 2 Peter 3:9]. We can choose to hold God’s generosity against Him, or we can receive the abundance of the life He offers.

God loves to pour His gifts upon His children. The Scriptures are resplendent with promises of blessing from God to His people [2 Peter 1:17]. When we live in a proper relationship with God, it has a dramatic effect on every area of our lives. The Scriptures tell us that God desires to bless our relationships, our marriages, our children, our work, our finances and our very lives.

The more good we do, the more good we are able to do. Generosity increases our capacity to bless others. When generosity is unleashed, it flows to every area of our lives. We become generous not only with our money but also with our time, effort, gifts, talents, passions, every part of us. When we choose to live generously, we can know that we “will be made rich in every way so that [we] can be generous on every occasion” [2 Corinthians 9:11].

There’s nothing wrong with having wealth. God richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. God wants us to enjoy our lives. He finds pleasure in our pleasure. Jesus did not call His disciples to reject a life of affluence and embrace a life of poverty. He simply called them to follow Him, to reject a life of greed and embrace a life of generosity. God will hold us accountable not just for the gifts we use, but also for those we neglect. When we embrace prosperity as a gift from God entrusted to us for the good of many, we are laying up for ourselves treasures in heaven, not born out of greed, but born out of the very heart of God.

The generous see themselves as stewards of God’s treasures. They are not cautious in giving themselves away, for God Himself is their source of replenishment. They understand everything to be the Lord’s and thus are free to give without reservation. It is not that they give carelessly or without thoughtfulness, nor is it that they give without consideration of need. They are the contributors of life. They are the true investors in the human spirit. Wherever they are, there is more. They never leave a place or relationship having taken more than they have given. Yet somehow they never leave empty. In giving, they find themselves enriched. They are anomalies in the human economy.

The takers of this world always need more. They are always hungry, always craving. The givers are inexplicably full. Those who refuse to believe in God’s economy never understand the endless flow of their resources. The takers are always looking for happiness, convinced somehow that the next thing they grab will somehow be their source of joy.

The giver is always open-handed, yet never empty-handed. The generous have found the secret to happiness. They have found the joy of living through serving others. When we become generous, we become like God. Every creative act of God is created not out of selfishness or self-indulgence, but out of His generosity. We demean the nature of our God-given creativity when we use it for anything beneath His character. Creativity and generosity are to be identical sisters, always expressing and resulting in a work of beauty. Greed and ungratefulness caustically make nothing out of something; generosity and gratitude creatively make something out of nothing [see Ephesians 4:28].

Grace is never less than the law. Grace is not freedom to live beneath the law, but to live beyond the law.

The Warrior's Heart: Courage

“God did not give us a spirit that makes us afraid, but a spirit of power and love and self-control” [2 Timothy 1:7].

To follow Jesus Christ is to choose to live in His adventure. How in the world could we ever imagine of life of faith that does not require risk? Faith and risk are inseparable. It should come as no surprise to us then that a life of faith is a life of courage. While faith as a noun may be about belief, having faith is all about action. We cannot walk by faith and live in fear.

The history of God’s people is not a record of God searching for courageous men and women who could handle the tasks, but of God transforming the hearts of cowards and calling them to live courageous lives. Adam and Eve hid; Abraham lied; Jacob deceived; Moses ran; Esther wavered; Elijah contemplated suicide; John the Baptist doubted; Peter denied; Judas betrayed. And those are just some of the leading characters.

The Hebrew word “ruach,” which is normally translated “spirit,” “wind,” or “breath,” can also be translated “courage.” When God breathes His Spirit into us, He not only gives us His power but, more importantly, His courage. When we read Paul’s admonition to “be filled with the Spirit” [Ephesians 5:18], we often translate it to mean “be filled with God’s power.” It would have been far more accurate to understand it as “be filled with God’s courage.” What is the point of having God’s power if we lack the courage to actually use it? Only when we embrace God’s calling on our lives will we need God-inspired courage. We often ask for God’s power to accomplish our small dreams; instead we should cry out for God’s courage to step out on His bold adventures.

Without courage we cannot live the life we choose – instead we choose to relinquish life. We conform to the path of least resistance and abdicate our freedom. So in the end, a life without courage is a life without virtue!

Even Joshua needed a push to be bold. It was only after the death of Moses that God spoke to Joshua [Joshua 1:1-9]. God made Joshua a bold, all-encompassing promise: "I will give you every place where you set your foot." The second promise Joshua received was just as revealing as it may have been inspiring: "No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life." A promise of conquest, yes, but not a promise of tranquility. Joshua's enemies would not be able to stand against him, but they would try. There would be two sides to the fulfillment of this challenge: God's part, "I will never leave you nor forsake you," and Joshua's part, "Be strong and courageous." This command was given to Joshua three times in the same discourse.

It was God's promise, but it was Joshua's responsibility to bring it to pass. The people of Israel saw no dichotomy between the sacred work of God and the significant role of men and women to do that work. It was both God and Moses. It would be both God and Joshua. God would lead Joshua, but Joshua would lead Israel.

There's something God wants us to do -- not to sit back and watch Him do it or to passively wait for Him to do it, but a calling that God waits for us to embrace, pursue and fulfill. God chooses to entrust His most sacred work to people just like us.

God expected more from Joshua and His people than for them to passively wait for Him to secure the land for them. God would go with them, but He would not go for them. The quest would require Joshua to be both a desperate follower of God and an extraordinary leader of men. It is not incidental that God exhorted him to be both strong and courageous; Joshua would have to lead the way both in conquest and in character.

There is a difference between momentary courage and moral courage. The first energizes us to rush into a burning building and save a child trapped in a fire. The second empowers us to live lives worthy of being emulated. Both kinds of courage are important.

Whether leading multitudes or just living life, we will find ourselves challenged to sacrifice what is right for what is expedient. To be strong is to be rooted and defined by what is true. God called Joshua to build his life on what He had already said. “Be careful to obey all the law My servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful” [Joshua 1:7-8]. Joshua’s success would first and foremost depend on the trueness of his moral compass.

How many times have we pointed to not knowing God’s will for our lives as the reason we are paralyzed from doing it? Yet, as with Joshua, there is enough truth in the Scriptures to fill our entire lives. The problem is not that we don’t know what to do, but that we don’t do what we know. The key to the future is not revelation, but obedience. When we submit our lives to what God has made known, the future becomes clearer to us. When we neglect to do what we know, we begin to live as if we were walking through a fog. If we are not careful, we will find ourselves condemning God for being silent, when in fact, we have condemned ourselves for refusing to listen.

God calls us to live from the inside out. When we live by truth, we establish our integrity. Each “be strong” that God spoke to Joshua was followed by a call to “be courageous.” God was ordering Joshua not only to hold on to the good but also to pursue it with passion. He was to move with urgency and purpose.

Our courage directly affects the speed at which the future unfolds. God loves to do His work through ordinary people like us. Even cosmic battles will be won through the dust and breath of our everyday lives [Romans 16:20]. When we walk in truth, we accelerate the process and literally fast-forward the future. When we remove disobedience from our lives, we are able to respond without hesitation when the moment calls for courage. Crises rarely afford us the luxury of contemplation. When courage is fueled by integrity and formed out of humility, it allows us to act without hesitation when the moment requires it. There is a direct relationship between courage and our ability to respond quickly.

When God speaks, it requires our immediate attention. If we respond to God's call, we will be tested to the very cores of our beings. God will not always save us from the fire but will, in fact, often throw us into it. The promise that He will be with us and never forsake us is both a promise and a warning. A divine journey cannot be completed without divine intervention.

Courage is not the absence of fear; it is the absence of self. Courage is the highest expression of humility. Courage moves us to risk ourselves for others or for a higher cause. Courage frees us from the fears that would rob us of life itself. It is here that courage and creativity come together. Without courage we become conformists. With courage we once again become the creative beings God designed us to be. The fear of God is not only the beginning of all wisdom but the place of freedom from fear. When we are free from fear, we are finally free to live.

"To live is Christ and to die is gain" [Philippians 1:21]. God invites us to join Him on the quest for honor, to live lives of genuine courage. The way is clear: if we would just die, we can begin to live. This path is one where only dead men can go. Cowards are more than welcome, but we should know up front that how we begin the journey is not how we will finish it. Who we will become will surprise even us.

The Sustaining Power of Becoming: Perseverance, Part 2

God longs to give us wisdom, and it is born out of perseverance. Only the testing of our faith develops the perseverance that we need. God desires to do some things in our lives that can come no other way except by our walking the path of perseverance. To become like Christ, this ordeal must be faced. We can be filled with joy even in the midst of suffering when we pursue character and not comfort. We can consider trials as the perfect environment for indescribable joy when we embrace our circumstances as God’s incubator to form us in His image.

God allows and at times causes us to go through circumstances that strip away all falsehood and leave us with our real selves. God’s ultimate intent is not to leave us faithless, but to leave us faith-full. God wants us to have no doubt of the work He has done within us, to know that we have what it takes to walk through fire.

God also knows our needs, even though at times we can be oblivious to our need for God. Trials have unique abilities to realign us with reality and position us for divine encounters. Perseverance is critical so that we don’t turn to other sources of provision. The place of our greatest vulnerability is the vacuum created between our need and God’s provision. Satan knows God fully intends to supply our every need, so he tempts us to choose another way before God meets us in the middle of the test. He tried to convince Jesus to turn stones into bread [Matthew 4:1-11]. The human condition begins to make sense when we realize that most of us are eating rocks instead of waiting on God to bring us His bread. We keep trying to meet the deepest longings of our souls apart from the God who intimately created us.

When God tests our faith, the evil one attempts to destroy our faith. While God sends us tests to draw us toward Him, Satan tempts us to draw us away from Him. We cannot be tested without being tempted. How many of us have been told that we’re going through trials or facing temptations because we are out of God’s will? Trials and temptations are not the punishment of God, but rather the process of God. Yes, sometimes our lives are in ruin and we suffer needlessly as a result of our own foolishness. But we must not assume this is always the case.

Jesus chose to wait on God, His provider. However long He must wait, He would persevere. He would rather be hungry waiting on His Father’s timing than to be found eating rocks when the bread came. Hardship does not require a famine of joy or enjoyment. It is in the crucible that we not only discover who we are, but more profoundly, who Christ is within us [Philippians 4:11-13].