Courage Transfusion, Part Five by Charles R. Swindoll 1 Corinthians 16:13; Hebrews 10:35-36 Weve been talking about the need in our day for a courage transfusion. Drawing from 1 Corinthians 16:13, weve looked at three important commands: Stay alert! Stand alone! Grow up! Now the last command wont surprise you at all; youre all ready for it: Get tough! I didnt say mean, I said tough. Look at the way it reads: Be strong. Have you ever played for a coach who wasnt tough? If so, guess what you did all season---lose! Great coaches are tough-minded; they attract people who do their best for them. Winning requires being tough! If youre a preacher and you speak week after week, preach what needs to be said, not what others want you to say. You preach it until the day you die. Stand firm, even if they dont want to hear it and finally run you off. Thats your calling. If youre a counselor, tell the truth to people you counsel, even when they dont want to hear it. Truth sets people free. Suppose a friend says to you, You know, I have to admit, things arent great between Bob and me at home. Our marriage isnt going anywhere. And so, wouldnt you know it, I met this guy at the gym. Boy, he is terrific. Hes more my type. Matter of fact, were going out to dinner tomorrow night. She thinks shes solving her problem, but you know better. She needs tough love. Put your arm around her and say, Thats the worst thing you could possibly do. What youre getting into will only multiply your difficulties at home. If youre a counselor and you have a counselee who comes in whining over something thats really sinful, dont shrug it off and say, Oh thats okay. I understand. Those things happen. Ill pray that things work out. No. Its time to speak up. Tell the person to stop and help him know how. Tough talk works! Sinning brings bondage. Caring enough to confront and speak truth will set people free. Were all freer as a result of hearing truth from the Scriptures. Youre not deeper into your problems, wondering how youll ever get out of this mess you made. Gods Word is a lamp. Finally, you can see some light. Were living in a world of people so twisted they make you think perversion is right. And if you dont think perversion is right, youre wrong. Thats madness! The Bible calls it confusion. Call it that. I dont care if youre the only one thinking like that. Its part of doing whats right. Getting tough begins with being tough on yourself. I was digging around a dusty old bookstore several years ago, and I came across a little volume on the life of the great composer Ludwig van Beethoven. He was some kind of man. He composed some of his greatest musical works after he lost his hearing. He ultimately went stone deaf. As the thickness was drawing a veil over his auditory nerves, he had to rely more and more on the feelings in his fingers. At times he would even rest his forehead on the piano to hear the vibrations of what was being played. At one time, in a frustrated moment, he slammed both fists on the keyboard and shouted, I will take life by the throat! What great advice for life. Take it by the throat. Stay alert! Stand alone! Grow up! Get tough! Thats what we have to do both as Christians and as Americans. Now is the time for a courage transfusion. We have to be alert against the enemy. We have to stand alone against evil, even if others choose not to. We have to grow up as a nation---stand tall and act like men and women. And we have to be tough---not mean, not responding with evil for evil---but tough. Meeting the challenge. Taking life by the throat. Standing up. Standing tall. Standing firm. Standing together.
Posted on: Tue, 29 Oct 2013 17:23:13 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015