Do Not Be Afraid

A number of years ago I was given the opportunity to make a bungee jump from 15 stories above a pool.  I was unmarried, no children, and young so I jumped at the possibility to do something I probably would never get a chance to do again.  For some strange reason I did not correctly weigh the reality that I am afraid of heights until after I paid and was standing on a platform one hundred and fifty feet in the air.  The instructor told us that while standing on the edge of the platform we should not look down but instead look straight out at a flag.  He continued that on the count of three we should jump to grab the flag and the fun would begin.  He also said that most that do not jump after the first count to three will likely never jump.  In that moment, fear gripped my throat and my stomach dropped to my ankles.  How was I going to react while standing on that edge?

 

In Acts 18:1-17, we find Paul now in Corinth having left Athens behind.  He spends some time in the synagogue preaching the Gospel Message, but after many of the Jews opposed and reviled him he shakes out his garments against them, deciding to preach in the future only to the Gentiles.  Later, Paul receives a vision from God telling him not to be afraid, but to preach the truth in Corinth.  He is not alone.  Others are with him.  God is with him.  And he stayed in Corinth for a year and six months, preaching and teaching.

 

Though this vision was intended for Paul at a momentous time in his ministry there are some truths that we can grasp and apply to our own walks as disciples of Christ.  May we all be prayerfully prepared for God to reveal the fears that we have in preaching the Gospel Message with our words and deeds to those around us.  May we overcome those fears with the help of the Lord.

 

By the way, I jumped.  I didn’t hesitate.  And it was one of the greatest thrills of my life.