Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

Strong and courageous

Photo by Pixabay

A “through the bible” devotion from Joshua 1.

Are super powers easy to come by? Sometimes it’s accidental. A radioactive spider bit Peter Parker, and he became spiderman. Gamma radiation turns Bruce Banner into the Hulk. A medical experiment turns Steve Rogers into Captain America.

For others, it’s intentional. With some cash and some smarts, Bruce Wayne is Batman and Tony Stark becomes Ironman.

It helps if your parents are gods (Thor, Aquaman) or from another planet (Superman).

For the record (and for those who care), I enjoy both Marvel and DC superheroes.

Underdog ate a Super Energy Vitamin Pill for his superpowers. (I watched Underdog a lot when I was a kid. I just learned that this was edited out of the cartoon in the 80s and 90s so as not to encourage drug use.)

Three times in the first chapter of Joshua, God tells him to “Be strong and courageous” (Joshua 1:6, 7, 9). A few moments later, the leaders of Israel address Joshua, “Be strong and courageous” (1:18).

Sounds like they want (need) a superhero.

Don’t you think Joshua was under a lot of pressure? After all, there was no one like Moses, who saw God face-to-face. He is a tough act to follow.

When someone says, “Be brave,” it’s usually when they are going to stick a needle in your arm or you have to get on the bus by yourself or some guy in a robe asks, “Do you take this man (woman)…”

But when God says, “Be strong and courageous,” it’s because “the Lord your God is with you wherever you go” (1:9). It’s not just a command. It’s a promise.

Who’s riding shotgun? Jesus? You’ve got nothing to worry about. You can be strong and courageous!

Posted in Grace, Ministry

How strong do you have to be?

About a week ago, I left early in the morning to meet someone at the hospital who was having surgery that day. As we sat down to talk and pray, she said, “I’m sorry for being such a wimp.” And I thought to myself, “Why do we feel like we must be strong all the time?” When you are about to have surgery and face some of the realities and unknowns of cancer, isn’t it OK to be scared, be weak, and cry? Of all times to feel vulnerable and mortal, this would seem to be one of the most appropriate.

Yet we don’t like to let on that we feel that way. It seems this is especially true of Christians. We’ve convinced ourselves that our faith means we will not be scared, we will not worry, and we will not feel weak. Even if we read numerous Psalms reminding us that God is our refuge and strength, we’d rather dig deep into our own resources rather than have to tap into his. It’s not easy to say that God is your strength and mean it, because it means you are weak, and probably a wimp, too. It’s OK to sing, “I am weak but he is strong” when you’re a kid, but not when you’re grown up.

The apostle Paul figured it out: “When I’m weak, then I’m strong.” Perhaps we need to learn how to be better wimps.