Fearless............Part 3

FAITH:

Jesus equipped his followers with farsighted courage. He listed the typhoons of life and then pointed them “to the end.” Trust in ultimate victory gives ultimate courage. Author Jim Collins makes reference to this outlook in his book Good to Great. Collins tells the story of Admiral James Stockdale, who was a prisoner of war for eight years during the Vietnam War.
After Stockdale’s release Collins asked him how in the world he survived eight years in a prisoner-of-war camp. He replied, “I never lost faith in the end of the story. I never doubted not only that I would get out, but also that I would prevail in the end and turn the experience into the defining event of my life, which, in retrospect, I would not trade.” Collins then asked, “Who didn’t make it out?” Admiral Stockdale replied, “Oh, that’s easy. The optimists. . . . they were the ones who said, ‘We’re going to be out by Christmas.’ And Christmas would come, and Christmas would go. Then they’d say, ‘We’re going to be out by Easter.’ And Easter would come, and Easter would go. And then Thanksgiving, and then it would be Christmas again. And they died of a broken heart.”

Real courage embraces the twin realities of current difficulty and ultimate triumph. Yes, life stinks. But it won’t forever. As one of my friends likes to say, “Everything will work out in the end. If it’s not working out, it’s not the end.” Though the church is winnowed down like Gideon’s army, though God’s earth is buffeted by climate changes and bloodied by misfortune, though creation itself seems stranded on the Arctic seas, don’t over react. “Be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for him to act. Don’t worry about evil people who prosper or fret about their wicked schemes” (Ps. 37:7).

Avoid Pollyanna optimism. We gain nothing by glossing over the brutality of human existence. This is a toxic world. But neither do we join the Chicken Little chorus of gloom and doom. “The sky is falling! The sky is falling!” Somewhere between Pollyanna and Chicken Little, between blind denial and blatant panic, stands the levelheaded, clear thinking, still-believing follower of Christ. Wide eyed, yet unafraid. Unterrified by the terrifying. The calmest kid on the block, not for lack of bullies, but for faith in his older Brother. The old people of God knew this peace: “Though a host encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war arise against me, yet I will be confident” (Ps. 27:3).

After the bombs of World War II ravaged downtown Warsaw, only one skeletal structure remained on the city’s main street. “The badly damaged structure was the Polish headquarters of the British and Foreign Bible Society, and the words on its only remaining wall were clearly legible from the street . . . ‘Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.’ ” This is the picture of the Christian hope. Though the world may collapse, the work of Christ will endure.

So, see to it that you are not alarmed (Matt. 24:6 niv).

“See to it . . . ” Bosses and teachers are known to use that phrase. “See to it that you fill out the reports.” Or “Your essay is due tomorrow. See to it that you finish your work.” The words call for additional attention, special focus, extra resolve. Isn’t this what Christ is asking of us? In this dangerous day, on this Fabergé-fragile globe, with financial collapse on the news and terrorists on the loose, we have every reason to retreat into bunkers of dread and woe. But Christ says to us, “See to it that you are not alarmed” . “Keep your head and don’t panic”. “See that you are not troubled”. “Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life” (Rev. 2:10) .

FRIENDS:

Father in Heaven, you are the Father of comfort and the God of Peace. We pray that your kingdom would come into our hearts and that peace would rule. Teach us what it means to be peace makers. Help us cultivate peace between others and you. Teach us the art of building bridges and not walls. We glorify your name, the great God of peace. It is in Jesus' name we pray, Amen.

DAILY BIBLE CHALLENGE

17. JOHN 5:31-47; 1 PETER 2:9-17; SONG OF S. 2; JEREMIAH 47-48
18. JOHN 6:1-15; 1 PETER 2:18-25; SONG OF S. 3; JEREMIAH 49

FOOD:

Apple Pizza

1 loaf frozen bread dough
5 medium apples, pared, cored and sliced thin
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup flour
2 teaspoons cinnamon
4 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup chopped nuts

Let frozen dough set at room temperature until thawed. Roll dough into a circle for a 12 inch pizza pan. Cover dough with the sliced apples.
Combine remainder ingredients and sprinkle over the apples. Let rise. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes at 375F.
Makes 8 servings.

FUN:

There is a mama lion, a daddy lion & a baby lion. The mama lion & the daddy lion were having a lot of fights so they decided to get a divorce.

The lion family goes in front of a judge to decide custody of the baby lion.

The judge asks the baby lion "Do you wanna live with mama lion?" The baby lion nswers "No mama lion beats me."

The judge said "Alright, do you wanna live with daddy lion?"

The baby lion answers "No daddy lion beats me worse."

The judge asks "who do you wanna live with then?" The baby answers "The Detroit Lions, they don't beat anybody."