Monday; June 9

One of the things that seems to be missing in the discussion of modern religion is the concept of courage.  Maybe it is because we live in modern America, but it seems so easy to practice our religion that we typically take it for granted.  However, a religion that is capable of changing a life takes the courage of commitment.  As I thought about this, I was reminded of a confrontation early in the formation of the Christian church that proves this point.  Shortly after Jesus was crucified and raised from the dead Peter stood up during a gathering attended by some pretty religious people and made a case for Jesus being the Promised One.  Then, he summoned the courage to say, “Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ—this Jesus whom you crucified.” (Acts 2:36).  While that was a bold statement, something else happened immediately following this, “Now when they heard this, they were pierced to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brethren, what shall we do?” (Acts 2:37).  It’s easy to see the fortitude of saying, “You did wrong” … but it also took courage to say, “Yes we were”.

Do we have the courage to challenge the world – or the courage to change our ways?  The reward for the risk is well worth it … if we just have the nerve to do it!

Think About It! 

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