Good Courage

Psa 31:24
Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the LORD.

For most people, myself included, courage follows strength. Although I have always been athletic and picked up sports fairly easily as a kid, I never grow to the size and strength of most of my peers. Typically the smaller and less muscular kid, I lacked the confidence that many of them had. In recent years I began working out with regularity and fending off the effects of old age. That activity had an affect on my physical appearance that I rather liked. As it improved, so too did my confidence. Just under a year ago I spoke with a young man who had been working out over a good portion of his life. He said that his size always caused him to lack confidence, and although he's still short and does not appear "bulked up" he is surprisingly strong and that physical ability has increased his confidence. God says strength follows courage, not the other way around. Maybe I should quantify that, strength follows GOOD courage.

This is Webster's definition of courage from the 1828 Webster's Dictionary:
"Bravery; intrepidity; that quality of mind which enables men to encounter danger and difficulties with firmness, or without fear or depression of spirits; valor; boldness; resolution. It is a constituent part of fortitude; but fortitude implies patience to bear continued suffering."

I like fortitude. That sounds like a great study, but this one is on good courage. So then courage is that unique ability to face danger with the confidence that we shall over come. It would seem that I would have to have some ability within myself to do that, hence the fact that our courage is generally directly tied into our ability whether it is strength of mind, muscle, or some other thing. But God didn't say to have courage. He said to be of good courage. He told Joshua that several times (Deut 31:6-7, 23; Josh 1:6, 9) ; remember? In each of these He said to "Be strong and of a good courage". I've often thought that it would be cool for God to say the same thing to me. He did in those passages, and He does directly here. Why a GOOD courage?

In Matt. 19:16-17 a man came to Jesus and said, "Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?" Jesus addressed a theological error he had when He said, "Why callest thou me good? There is none good but one, that is, God:" What is a GOOD courage? In our society, indeed the world we have abused and misused the word, good. As Jesus pointed out here, the word can not apply in anyway to any man or act of man. What is GOOD courage? It is a courage that is comes from not my ability, possessions, or as H&R Block would say "people", but is based on God. GOOD courage is a courage that comes from knowing, trusting, and living in Christ.

Be of GOOD COURAGE. Look to God, trust God, believe God, walk with God, keep God's ways, stay in God's path, and DO even in the face of "negative" consequences. Not because I think I can pull off a victory, but because I know that God WILL! When I do that, God shall strengthen my heart. I'm out of time to complete this. When God strengthens my heart He gives me the ability to go forward. To continue through the circumstance with fortitude.

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