Day Eighteen | March 14 Courage

Every season of life brings challenges. We may face possibilities that require us to leave our comfort zones and try something new. Or changes may have been forced on us that we don’t want to face. In those moments, Jesus provides courage for us to dare to move forward.

When God places a burden on our hearts, do we have the courage to act? Martin Niemöller was a great German pastor who stood up to the Nazis and stood up for the Jewish people. Finally, they threw him into prison. As he was sitting in his jail cell, the prison chaplain came to visit him, and sat down and said, “Brother, why are you in this jail cell?” To which Niemöller replied, “Brother, why are you not in this jail cell?”

We so often hear these great stores of faith and think our lives are too ordinary. Not so. God has a call and plan for each one of us. Most of ours will not be the epic stories that end in martyrdom, but we are called to right some wrongs and to witness to our faith. And to do that takes courage. It takes courage to:

• Carve out time to serve

• Mentor a child

• Collect food for those who are hurting

• Engage in a ministry of the church

• Be a good neighbor who lends a helping hand

• Invite people to church

• Share what we believe about Jesus when a door opens

• Love those we disagree with … and to not verbally attack when challenged

G. Campbell Morgan was one of the great English preachers, teachers, and evangelists of the last century. As a young seminary student, he fell in love with a certain young woman. He was reluctant to propose. He said, “I think God has laid it on my heart to say some radical things to the church. I may not be a success; I may be persecuted. I don’t want to drag you into that. In five or six years, perhaps I’ll be established, and then I can o er you my hand in marriage.” Her immediate reply was, “If

64 WHO DO YOU SAY THAT I AM?

I can’t climb the mountain with you, I’d be ashamed to meet you at the top.”

Here is the question of Lent: What mountains are we climbing for Jesus?