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Scripture for the day: Deuteronomy 31:6; Acts 4:31 Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will never leave you nor forsake you…And when they had prayed the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and they spoke the word of God with boldness.
Thought for the day: When that statement was made by Moses in Deuteronomy he was speaking to his aide, Joshua. Joshua was being given the mantel of leadership among the Children of Israel. For forty years he’d been at Moses’ right hand, primarily supporting him as he led God’s people through the desert. Now Moses was about to die and the baton needed to be passed. Can you imagine the sense of responsibility, even fear, he must have felt as Moses made his commissioning speech? He must have been shaking in his sandals and saying to himself, “Who am I that the Lord would use me in this way?” Then Moses said those words we’ve copied above, “Be strong and of good courage…The Lord will never leave you nor forsake you.”
Imagine a beautiful ship… built with the best wood, and decorated with great sails and flags honoring the ship’s country of origin. Master craftsmen spent years putting her together with great care. She is the pride of the port. She’s the fastest, and strongest ship ever built. Then they give her a glorious name… the S.S. “Courage”. They gave her a great christening and broke an expensive bottle of champagne on her hull… everyone cheered… and then they went home. The S.S. Courage remained in the port. The Admiralty had already decided they wanted to save her for a really important battle. The good ship Courage never left the port.
Then one day the country went to war…and a Naval Officer asked if the S.S. Courage could be launched. He even volunteered to captain the ship. The Naval Admiral looked at him with a stern look, and said, “Son, we can win this war without the Courage… lets save her for a bigger war.” They did win the war… and years later the Courage still rested in her safe harbor. She no longer looked as beautiful as the day she was built; she’d been neglected for so long. She had moss growing on her hull and her anchor chain was badly rusted from never leaving the water.
Suddenly, almost inevitably, another country waged war and, as a last resort, the commanding Admiral said, “It’s time to launch the S.S. Courage.” They go to her in their most desperate hour; the enemy’s fastest ship is closing on their harbor. If they reach the harbor, their Capital will surely be lost. They send a crew aboard the Courage, and they begin to raise the anchor, only to find the links of the chain are rusted to one another. Finally, after much struggle they get the anchor lifted. The captain tells the first mate, and he shouts the order, “Hoist the sails!!!” The crew hurriedly hoists the sails, and when raised it is obvious to everyone there is a problem. There are holes all through the canvas!!! Apparently, the moths got to the sails in all the time the S.S. Courage sat in port. The ropes are dry-rotted and weak. The wind begins to blow and immediately one of the main lines snaps. They manage to swing her around - and by now the enemy ship is barreling down on her. “Load the canons!!!” shouts the first mate. They begin to open the barrels of powder only to find that the powder is wet; in all the time they sat unused the weather got to them. The powder is useless. An officer informs the Captain of their situation and the Captain proclaims, “If only we had used Courage before this, she would serve us well now. It is too late; all is lost…”
He barely finished his statement when the enemy ship fired 6 canons from her portside and demolished the ship and crew. The city was soon lost. “If only we had used courage before this…”
In Joshua’s time, “They” were the people of the Promised Land, enemies of Israel and her God, who stood in the way of the people. In Acts chapter 4, “They” were the religious leaders of the time, determined to stamp out this new sect of followers of Jesus. Who is “They” in your world?
“A ship is safer in the harbor, but that’s not what a ship was made for.”
Now go take on your world. - Bill