I Corinthians 16:13-14 "Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong. Do everything in love." Does it take courage to live like a child of God in our day? Only if you intend to be serious about it. Only if you intend to say no to the sin and temptation of the old way of life. Not everyone is happy about your growth in Christ, especially when it begins to expose and cause them to deal with their own life of sin. The Scripture talks about "speaking the truth in love" Ephesians 4:15. The truth does not always bring pleasant news, that's why we need to make sure love is always the motivating force. Lashing out with the truth in anger is not hard at all, in fact it's fairly easy - it's "getting it off your chest". Speaking in love is risky and takes courage. It invites rejection. It takes courage to do things right. To stop cheating with the food stamps, or getting married rather than live in sin and risk losing some of the benefits of a single mom. It takes courage to tell a visiting friend or relative on Sunday Morning that you are in the habit of going to church and invite them to come along. It takes courage to say no to the beer or drug that the person that you love is coxing you to use. A coward can't be a real Christian. But, Praise God, our survival doesn't depend on our strength, but on who He is. Hebrews 7:25 tells us that "...he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them. In our verse we are told to be "strong". The Word tells us, "They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength." Isaiah 40:31. Nehemiah 8:10 says "...the joy of the Lord is our strength"

A People of Courage