Weekend Worship—Good Courage

But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. I Timothy 6:11

We were singing an old hymn in church and one phrase in the chorus caught my attention, Good Courage. I’ve heard that all my life, but it struck me today as I watched the words flash across the screen, and I began to think about what it meant.

Is there such a thing as bad courage?

I mean the very word, courage, brings to mind admirable qualities of standing firm no matter the odds. But is that always what God wants us to do? So I did a little digging into my Bible and came up with this answer…it depends.

Who am I Following?

Commit your way to the LORD; trust in Him, and He will act, Psalm 37:5

One summer I followed a friend to the beach in the car. I'd never been to this particular beach and didn’t have the written directions with me and didn't own a GPS at the time. I had to rely completely on her knowledge to get me safely to our destination. We arrived safely, but while I was following I began to see the similarities between my trip and my spiritual life. 

• I had to stay alert and stay close as I followed her so we wouldn't get separated. I'd be totally lost if we got separated.
• I had to stay behind her. After all, it wouldn't do me any good to get ahead of her — I didn't know the route to get to the beach.
• I knew our destination was the beach, and as a believer, I know my ultimate destination is heaven. 

As a believer I have to follow God closely to stay on the right path. I have to stay alert to keep from getting separated. I've got to learn to stay behind, trusting that God knows the best way to get where I'm going. He's given me a preview of my ultimate destination, but only He knows the path I'm supposed to take along the way.

Don't forget to join the conversation!

Blessings,

Edie

Weekend Worship—Declare Yourself!

No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be loyal to the one and despise the other… Matthew 6:24, NKJV

In today’s busy world, trying to stay on track seems to be an unattainable fantasy. We’re pulled from thing to thing—urgency and immediate need pushing away thoughts of priority.

The Bible warns us of trying to do too much at once—God calls it trying to serve two masters. Just try to follow the directions of two people at the exact same time. Stand between two people, letting them shout conflicting directions to you and try to follow them. Your feet will wobble as you turn this way and that. You will begin to go in one direction only to turn and stumble the other way. Your walk, if you make progress at all, will be slow and ineffective. This is what happens when you are torn between the way of the world and the way of Christ.

The world is constantly shouting conflicting directions—it always has and it always will—we can’t change that. But we can change whether we listen to it. It ‘s our responsibility to be so tuned in to the way of Christ that those directions fall upon deaf ears. We must turn completely to Jesus, following His directions without hesitation, standing tall and moving with grace and power. God has given us the freewill to choose the way in which we will go. When we call ourselves followers of Christ, we must choose God’s way.

To avoid a walk that is slow and ineffective, don’t wobble between the world and Christ. Live for God and God alone and life will be new every day.

What steps do you take to stay on track?
Don't forget to join the conversation!
Blessings,
Edie

A special announcement!
Starting this next Wednesday, December 8, I will add another regular post to the weekly schedule. Wednesdays will highlight interviews from authors competing on the site, Clash of the Titles. I'm really excited about this reader-driven site and know you will be also.