“5-year old Johnny was in the kitchen as his mother made supper. She asked him to go into the pantry and get her a can of tomato soup, but he didn't want to go in alone. ‘It's dark in there and I'm scared.’ She asked again, and he persisted. Finally she said, ‘It's OK--Jesus will be in there with you.’ Johnny walked hesitantly to the door and slowly opened it. He peeked inside, saw it was dark, and started to leave when all at once an idea came, and he said: ‘Jesus, if you're in there, would you hand me that can of tomato soup?’" (Charles Allen, Victory in the Valleys.)
It is natural for us to be
fearful. Noises in the dark that remain
unseen, avoiding things our mind tells us will cause harm, and situations that
force us out of our comfort zone such as standing on stage in front of a crowd. We all have fears. But when it comes to obeying the commands of
Christ (love God, love others, and make and teach disciples) fears can overtake
our desire to be bold for Christ.
In 2 Timothy 1:6-7, Paul
encourages Timothy to be bold in his faith.
He also urges Timothy to use his God-given gifts with boldness, not
fear. “For God gave us a spirit not of
fear but of power and love and self-control” (2 Timothy 1:7). What does this mean for us today? How do we fight our natural fear of sharing
our love for Christ? What happens when
we move through life with spiritual boldness?
Join us this week at
ElmCreek Community as we strive to understand God’s Word and wrestle with these
questions and more. Come prayerfully
prepared to hear the truth of the gospel message and how God uses his people
for his glory.
Striving to know Christ
and make him known,
Mark
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