A Time for Courage: Now!

3. December 2008 by Michael Carl.

The time has come for us to put aside our hesitations about serving the Lord.  The time has come for us to stop worrying about public opinion, approvals and approbation from a dying world.  Forget it.  The world is never going to “approve” of the Gospel.Paul said it so well when he said in Galatians 1.10, “Am I still trying to please human beings?  If I were still doing that I should not be a servant of Christ.”In a more contemporary time, a pastor going to martyrdom in Zimbabwe wrote the following stirring essay about his faithful service.  Let these words burn deeply into your heart as you resolve to no longer seek the world’s approval for your faithful Christ-centred living…

Zimbabwe Pastor’s Quote, written in about 1990

“I have Holy Spirit Power. The die has been cast. I’ve stepped over the line. I am out of the comfort zone. The decision has been made. I’m a disciple of His. I won’t look back, let up, slow down, back away or be still.

My past is redeemed, my present makes sense and my future is secure. I am finished and done with low living, sight walking, small planning, smooth knees, colourless dreams, tame visions, mundane talking, tiny giving and dwarfed goals.

I no longer need preeminence, plaudits, prosperity, position, promotions or popularity. I don’t have to be right, first, recognized, praised, regarded or rewarded. I now live by faith, lean on His presence, love by patience, lift up by prayer and labor by His power.

My face is set, my gait is fast, my goal is heaven, my road is narrow, my way is rough, my companions few, my Guide reliable and my mission clear. I cannot be bought, compromised, detoured, lured away, turned back, diluted or delayed.

I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the presence of adversity, negotiate at the table of the enemy, pander at the pool of popularity, or meander in the maze of mediocrity.

I won’t give up, shut up or let up till I’ve preached up, prayed up, paid up, stored up and stayed up for the cause of Jesus Christ. I am a disciple of Jesus. I must go ’til I drop, preach ’til all know and work ’til He stops me. I’m going to hang on, hunker down, hug tight and go where He wants to go and let Him take me there. And when He comes to get His own, He’ll have no trouble recognizing me because my banner will be clear!”

What else can we add to this?

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