Take Courage!

Take Courage!

by | Oct 8, 2017 | Tactical Notes, Warriors of the Way

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“… Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! …” (Matthew 14:27)

The Bible contains many stories of courage.  Some, such as the account of the young David fighting the giant Goliath, come quickly to mind.  But there are dozens more examples throughout the pages of Scripture where individuals stepped forward and fought against huge odds or difficult situations – often alone and without the support of others.  There are lessons we should not miss in these stories;  here are three that we should take to heart:
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Courage Is Commanded

“Take courage” is not just a biblical suggestion; it is a biblical command. We may be well aware of the many inspiring Old Testament verses such as “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified … for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you” (Deuteronomy 31:6) and the multiple times God commanded his leaders such as Joshua to be courageous (Joshua 1:6, 7, 9, etc.), but  we don’t always notice examples in the New Testament that apply directly to us.

If we look carefully, we find Jesus not only commanded courage of his disciples when they feared:  “… Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage!” (Matthew 14:27; Mark 6:50), but we also find him reminding his servants to have courage relative to the work he gave them to do:  “The following night the Lord stood near Paul and said, “Take courage! As you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome” (Acts 23:11).

The apostle Paul clearly obeyed that command (Philippians 1:20, etc.) and passed the command along to the Christians he taught: “Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong” (1 Corinthians 16:13).  There is no question that courage is commanded of the followers of Christ as much as it was of God’s servants in Old Testament times.

Courage Is Contagious

It helps us to understand the importance of courage when we realize that there is not a single instance among the dozens of accounts of physical and spiritual bravery found in the Bible where one person’s courage did not have an emboldening effect on others.

Again, we may be more familiar with Old Testament examples such as Saul’s son Jonathan demonstrating courage that inspired his armor bearer to join him in fighting heavy odds (1 Samuel 14:1-13).  Numerous examples in the Hebrew Scriptures show people being inspired by a courageous action, even if only after someone else was successful. Such was the case with the disheartened Israelites after David slew Goliath (1 Samuel 17:52).

But there are also fascinating examples of the contagious nature of courage in the New Testament. Take the case of Joseph of Arimathea who bravely asked Pilate for the body of Jesus in order to give him a proper burial.  The Gospel of Mark tells us that “Joseph of Arimathea, a respected member of the council, who was also himself looking for the kingdom of God, took courage and went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus” (Mark 15:43 ESV). This was no small act of bravery, as Jesus had just been executed as a rebel instigating sedition against the Roman Empire – and Joseph was no natural hero.  John’s Gospel tells us:  “… Now Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jewish leaders. With Pilate’s permission, he came and took the body away” (John 19:38).

But Joseph’s act of courage had immediate ripple effects. John’s Gospel also tells us that “He was accompanied by Nicodemus, the man who earlier had visited Jesus at night. Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds [to embalm the body of Jesus]” (John 19:39).  When Joseph “took courage,” he inspired Nicodemus – who had been too afraid of the Jews to talk with Jesus except under the cover of darkness – to likewise act with courage.

Courage is not just for heroes.  Biblical examples like these show courage always has an effect – even when others are afraid to act until they see the success of someone who does demonstrate courageous behavior.

Courage Is Confirming 

​Not only is courage contagious when it is demonstrated, but acting courageously – even if we do not feel courageous – confirms our faith to God, to others and even to ourselves.   God commands us to live courageously so he is obviously well pleased when we do so.

But acts of courage can have an effect on others that we may not even guess at the time. The Book of Acts tells us specifically that the Jewish priestly authorities questioned the apostles Peter and John in a threatening manner regarding their teaching, but: “When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus” (Acts 4:13).  It was the courage of the two apostles, not their learning or eloquence, that was a witness to the Jewish priests and religious leaders.  It is doubtless not a coincidence that shortly after that we are told:  “So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith” (Acts 6:7).

Acting with courage even helps confirm our own dedication to God and his calling.  We need faith to have courage and courage to express our faith. The apostle Paul showed this when he wrote:  “I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death” (Philippians 1:20).

So the words of Christ and the disciples he taught show the unending need for courage in our personal lives and in doing the work we are given to do.  Courage is needed to withstand evil and wrongdoing – to resist what is wrong in our own lives and in society, especially if we feel we are alone in carrying on the fight.  But courage is contagious, and our actions invariably will inspire others.

​Finally, courageous living demonstrates our faith in right and proper ways.  Put simply, we need to take courage because courage is faith in action.  Courage and our beliefs work hand in hand.  We should never forget that the effect of courage on Christianity can be considerable, and the effect of Christianity on courage can be enormous.  Take courage!

Why Did King Solomon Execute his own Brother?

Why Did King Solomon Execute his own Brother?

by | Oct 1, 2017 | Difficult Scriptures

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Scripture in Focus:
1 Kings 2:13-25

The Book of 1 Kings tells us that near the beginning of his reign, King Solomon had his own brother Adonijah executed  (1 Kings 2:13-25). Solomon is praised for his godliness at this point of his life (1 Kings 3:3).  Why would he do such a thing?

Adonijah was the fourth son of King David and an elder brother to Solomon, who inherited David’s throne according to his father’s wishes.   But after the death of his own elder brothers, Amnon and Absalom, Adonijah considered himself the heir to the throne (1 Kings 1:5).

When David was near death, Adonijah invited his younger brothers (except Solomon) and many of the chief officials of the kingdom to a sacrificial feast to announce his intention to take the throne.  But the prophet Nathan warned David through Bathsheba, Solomon’s mother, and David gave orders that Solomon immediately be proclaimed king.

At this point Adonijah asked for mercy from Solomon – who pardoned him on condition that he showed himself worthy in his behavior (1 Kings 1:50-53).  But not long after this, Solomon executed Adonijah over an incident that might seem difficult to understand.  Adonijah went to Solomon’s mother, Bathsheba, and persuaded her to ask the king on his behalf for permission to marry a young woman named Abishag.  Bathsheba agreed and asked Solomon, who reacted strongly and ordered Adonijah’s death. 

But there is more to the story than meets the eye.  Abishag was not just any young woman. She was the virgin who had been selected from David’s harem to sleep alongside the aged king (without any sexual intimacy) to help keep him warm at night due to his poor circulation (1 Kings 1:1-4).  But in the cultures of the ancient Near East, a king’s wives and concubines were considered part of the royal household inherited by the next king (2 Samuel 12:8).

The Greek historian Herodotus records this fact in saying that among the Persians a new king inherited the previous king’s harem and that to possess a king’s wife was as good as having  title to the throne.  In Israel, this had in fact been one of Adonijah’s older brother Absalom’s tactics when he attempted to take the throne of David (2 Samuel 16:22).  So Adonijah knew that since the young woman Abishag was part of David’s harem, if he were to marry her it would strengthen his claim to the throne considerably.

That is why Solomon reacted so strongly – and why he told his mother Bathsheba “…Why do you request Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? You might as well request the kingdom for him …” (1 Kings 2:22).  Solomon knew that this was no simple request, and that the devious Adonijah was clearly continuing his attempts to take over the throne. The Book of 1 Kings also shows that Solomon was aware that Adonijah was being supported by one of the military commanders, Joab, and by one of the chief priests, Abiathar – which is why the king also told his mother: “You might as well request the kingdom for him [Adonijah] and for Abiathar the priest and Joab son of Zeruiah!” (1 Kings 2:22).

Solomon’s mother, Bathsheba, was used as an unwitting accomplice in Adonijah’s scheming, but the Scriptures record that Solomon saw through the plot and acted decisively when it became apparent that his brother continued his plotting to take the throne.
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Sadly, this incident may have brought to a final fulfillment the curse King David had called down upon himself years earlier when he responded to the prophet Nathan’s story of a man who stole his neighbor’s lamb.  That story was actually a parable representing David’s stealing of the wife of the faithful soldier Uriah, and the king (not realizing he spoke of himself)  had replied  that the guilty man must pay fourfold for his sin (2 Samuel 12:1-6).  It is perhaps not coincidence that David’s four eldest sons, ending with Adonijah, met untimely deaths.  But in any event, it is clear that although he was granted mercy by Solomon, Adonijah continued to scheme to build power to take over the throne for himself – and in this way caused his own demise.  ​

When Your Fuse Burns Down

When Your Fuse Burns Down

by | Sep 24, 2017 | Overcoming, Problems

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The Bible talks a lot about patience, and anyone who reads the Scriptures can’t help but notice the many verses that address this aspect of human relations.  What is less obvious is that a common thread connects most of these scriptures. The main words for patience found in both the Old and New Testaments are similar in meaning and connote “long-suffering.”  In fact, the New Testament word we most often see translated “patience” (the Greek word makrothumia) literally means “long-anger” or “long-burning” – like a long fuse attached to a stick of dynamite! 

But everyone has limits to their patience; everyone has a “fuse” that burns down eventually – when patience gives out to anger.  So whether we are someone who naturally has a “short fuse” and whose anger is more quickly ignited or whether we are more patient and have a “longer” fuse, as Christians we all have to control the anger we sooner or later experience.
 
Anger in itself is not wrong.  It is a necessary emotion, but one which must be applied carefully. The Bible shows that God himself exhibits “righteous anger” – for example, when he is angered by the mistreatment of helpless refugees, widows, and orphans (Exodus 22:21-24) – and the more we learn to see things as God does, the more we will be angered by such things, also. But proper expression of anger requires three things, and we will look at them in turn.

Proper Motivation

Once we feel our anger “fuse” has begun to burn, we need to immediately take stock of what it is that is motivating the anger.  Are we angry because our pride was somehow hurt, because we feel others are not respecting us, not giving us due credit, or have insulted us or hurt us in some other way?  If so, that anger must be controlled as quickly as possible.  A good rule of thumb is that if we are angry about something that has been done to us personally, we need to be particularly careful that the motivation for our anger is right and not just an expression of the “get even” desires of human nature.

Another thing we should consider when human relationships are involved is whether we are getting angry at a person or at an unacceptable behavior. The Christian’s motivation in anger should never be to correct a person, but to correct a situation.

These are things we can all reflect upon.  What causes anger in us when we do become angry, and what is our goal in expressing anger?  Thinking this through in order to curb angry feelings that are not properly motivated is the beginning of being angry without sin.

Proper Expression 

Even when anger is justified, it can still be wrong if it is not expressed properly.  Anger that is expressed with hurtful comments or any kind of violence is clearly wrong.  Just as we said that the Christian’s motivation in anger should never be to correct a person but to correct a situation, we can extend that to say anger that intentionally hurts people in the way it is expressed is always wrong.

We should always strive to express our anger in an assertive but non-hurtful manner. This involves stating our concerns and needs clearly and directly, without resorting to belittling others or trying to control them. Only as we properly direct feelings of anger to behavior that does something about the problem – rather than reacting to the problem – can we properly control and apply our anger.

We see this in the Bible’s description of how God controlled his anger at ancient Israel: “… he was merciful; he forgave their iniquities and did not destroy them. Time after time he restrained his anger and did not stir up his full wrath” (Psalm 78:38).  Likewise, our anger should always be under our control rather than taking control of us – only then will we be able to express it in a manner that is not wrong. That is why the apostle Paul wrote “Be angry and do not sin” (Ephesians 3:4 ESV), showing it is not anger, but the lack of control and proper expression of anger that is problematic.

Proper Timing   

Controlled timing is also vital in proper anger management.  The longer we are able to delay before anger sets in, the more likely we are to be able to control it. Thomas Jefferson famously and wisely said, “When angry, count 10, before you speak; if very angry, 100.”  The apostle James put it this way: “Let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God” (James 1:19–20). As we noted above, both the Hebrew and Greek words translated patience in the Bible mean slow to anger.  Putting the brakes on anger early often saves us from skidding out of control when it is fully developed.

And even legitimate anger must be limited in its duration.  Once anger has been properly expressed, we need to put it to rest. The Scriptures are very clear on this.  Paul’s words to the Ephesians “Be angry and do not sin” are followed immediately in the same verse by “do not let the sun go down on your anger” (Ephesians 3:4).  Paul quotes these words from Psalm 4:4, and it is sometimes helpful to read that psalm and see how David learned to bring his anger to a close.
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So we should always strive to be slow to engage anger and quick to bring it to an end. If we can learn to do this, while being careful to check our own motivation regarding what angers us and being unwavering in the proper expression of our anger, we will be exercising principles that do indeed help us to be angry and not to sin. 

Intelligence Test

Intelligence Test

by | Sep 17, 2017 | Knowledge & Wisdom

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“It takes something more than intelligence to act intelligently.” 
― Fyodor Dostoyevsky

“The measure of intelligence is the ability to change.”   
― Albert Einstein

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A cartoon I saw recently showed a youngster telling his parents “Great news, Dad and Mom – my intelligence test came back negative!”  Intelligence testing is a huge industry today, and many different types of test have been developed. You can find dozens of IQ tests online which will measure verbal, mathematical or other forms of raw intelligence. But, as may be seen by the quotes above,  some of the most intelligent minds have realized that unapplied intelligence is worth little and that intelligence without action can be meaningless.  

There are a couple of verses in the Book of Jeremiah which relate directly to this: “Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom … But let him who glories glory in this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord, exercising lovingkindness, judgment and righteousness in the earth. For in these I delight, says the Lord” (Jeremiah 9:23-24 NKJV).  

If we think about them, these verses constitute a very real intelligence test.  Notice the admonition in verse 24: “ … but let him who glories glory in this, that he understands…”  Here, the word “understands” is translated from the Hebrew eshkl,  to “use intelligence.”  The New International Version gets a little closer to this meaning: “…  that they have the understanding to know me …”  (vs. 24 NIV, emphasis added), but we can go one step closer to the literal meaning by saying: “… that he uses intelligence to know me …” Therein lies the test. How effectively do we use the intelligence we were given?

If we think about the words of Einstein and other thinkers regarding using intelligence to change and act intelligently, we see that the smartest intelligence test is perhaps not one you may find online or purchase from some testing organization, but the test that comes to us courtesy of the Book of Jeremiah.  It’s not just asking if we “know the Lord,” however. Our score is based on how well we really come to know the character and traits of the One who exercises lovingkindness, judgment and righteousness.

An Unexpected Source of Strength

An Unexpected Source of Strength

by | Sep 10, 2017 | Positive Living, Tactical Notes

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“… the joy of the Lord is your strength” (Nehemiah 8:10).

Some of us love the sight of a universal gym or a set of free weights. Some of us view such things as being remarkably like our idea of medieval torture devices.  But whether we willingly undergo a hard workout or not, everyone admits that becoming physically stronger usually takes a lot of sweat and effort. Similarly, we may think that increasing spiritual strength usually involves hard work and the dedicated practice of disciplines such as prayer and fasting.  So if I were to tell you there is a perfectly pleasurable and sweat-free way to increase your spiritual strength you would probably think I was selling something. Yet the Bible tells us that such a source of strength is available to us.
 
The verse quoted above from the Book of Nehemiah makes an amazing statement if we are willing to focus on it and accept it for what it says: “The joy of the Lord is your strength.”  Given what we know of most strength-building exercises, this sounds almost too good to be true, but Nehemiah’s words are not just some pleasant poetic statement. It’s not that he just happened to mention joy and strength in the same sentence – there are actually a good number of biblical passages that link joy and strength directly.

In fact, 1 Chronicles 16:27 tells us that these qualities are linked in the nature of God himself: “Splendor and majesty are before him; strength and joy are in his dwelling place.” Once we begin to see the connection between joy and strength in this and numerous other verses, we begin to understand what the connection is.  Joy is a source of strength that can help carry us through the difficulties of life just as much as determination and endurance, and in some ways more so.

It is true that Christians are among those who mourn for the evils of the world (Matthew 5:4) and that we experience pain and sorrow just like other people (John 16:33), but these are temporary reactions to specific situations, not our everyday attitude.  Joy is the great strength-enhancer that shores up patience and enables endurance. It can carry us through pain and difficulties and enable us to focus on others even in difficult circumstances.  Joy can actually enable us to accomplish incredible things beyond what would normally be possible.  Do we believe and focus on that fact? Do we believe and focus on the fact that it helped Jesus himself to make the ultimate sacrifice: “… who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross…” (Hebrews 12:2 ESV, NKJV, etc., emphasis added).

Jesus specifically told his followers “These things I have spoken to you so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full” (John 15:11).  Joy is an unmistakable hallmark of those who follow him closely.  Those who were imprisoned with Dietrich Bonhoeffer before his execution said that he always spread an attitude of happiness and joy, despite his dire circumstances. Those who knew Mother Teresa say that although her work with the poor and the diseased would have depressed and even crushed many people, her attitude as she did her work was always one of joy.
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The kind of joy that gives us this strength is not entirely human made, of course. Galatians 5:22-23 tells us that deep, strengthening joy is one of the fruits of the Spirit of God, but we can help develop that joy by cultivating it in our daily thoughts and actions.  To seek the strength of joy in our lives is not to spend our lives in seeking temporary pleasures, but to find joy in what God gives us each day – whatever the situation, whatever the difficulty.  That is the lesson that those like Bonhoeffer and Mother Teresa had learned. It is a truth that Nehemiah understood thousands of years before our time, that joy and strength go hand in hand, and that the joy of the Lord is our strength.