Straight Thinking 091767 Christian Courage
Straight Thinking
091767
CHRISTIAN COURAGE
Sunday. What is the worst thing that has ever happened to you? Maybe a member of your immediate family died in a fire that burned your home. A car wreck may have injured you permanently. Do not blame God. Take courage with the assurance that he permits calamities as a means of helping us mature through suffering. (Read Hebrews 12:5-10.)
Monday. Remembering people less fortunate can serve to encourage us. The fact that they, too, are dealing with difficulties reminds us that God expects us all to maintain hope in his promises. He won’t let us be tested more than we can handle. (Read Hebrews 12:1; 1 Corinthians 10:13.)
Tuesday. A great cloud of witnesses surrounds us. The previous saints have shed their testimony to us, and the present crowd is watching our response. We must strive hard in every crisis because people are looking for a source of strength to help them cope. They should be able to find strength by observing our attitudes toward adversity. Let us look to Jesus, the Captain of our faith, and see in him the example we follow. (Read Hebrews 12:1-3.).
Wednesday. Now is the time to develop proper attitudes toward material possessions. If we fill our adult years with consuming desires for money, expensive clothes, and a luxurious home, we will not easily accept being deprived of them. If some catastrophe keeps us from obtaining these material things, we may lose heart and begin to despair, because our faith has not been centered on eternal values. (Read Hebrews 10:32-35.)
Thursday. Amid trying circumstances, we can cast our anxiety on the Lord because we know he will care for us. Where there is no obsession with maintaining life at all costs, we can concentrate on godly pursuits. Though only death may bring relief from persecution, we have courage for the present through confidence in God’s provision for the future. (Read Romans 8:28; 1 Peter 1:5-7.)
Friday. Some young folks do bring on themselves a “multitude of sorrows” because of undisciplined living, but misery doesn’t necessarily indicate God’s disfavor. Jesus never promised an easy life to us who follow him. Classmates may disapprove of us as a result of our meeting God’s approval. If we maintain friendships with those that people ridicule because they’re Christians, we will gain courage when our faith is critically challenged. (Read 1 Peter 5:8-9.)
Saturday. The greatest encouragement we can have from youth to old age is the hope that Jesus promised every faithful disciple. Today’s labors are small in comparison to tomorrow’s great reward. How short are earth’s sorrows in contrast to heaven’s eternal joys! (Read Romans 8:18-25; 1 Peter 5:10.)
Virgil Warren, Straight, September 17, 1967, p13. christir.org