Courage is the greatest virtue
It is upon courage that all other virtues exist.
Courage, or lack thereof, is one of the great defining moments in the life of a person of faith.
I propose that fundamentally courageous people have given us some of the most amazing stories of God’s grace.
It is easy to be a warrior when there is no war. In easy times, some can speak great, vaunted words of conviction when there is no opposition.
When the trumpets sounded the decree of Nebuchadnezzar, every captive jew was put to the test of courage. Only three did not capitulate. The boldness and courage demonstrated in a glorious manner by them.
The result turned the tide that changed the environment of stifling repression for everyone.
As you progress through the New Testament, you will see that it was a time of great persecution. However, God's grace gave the Christians of that time courage, and the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the mighty salvation that spread around the world were accomplished because of this. However, no amount of grace steals from us the personal crisis of conscious to define ourselves through personal courage.
Such brazen boldness that they were willing to be stoned, imprisoned, and all kinds of difficulty.
Compare that to modern “Christians” and their leaders. They have wrapped themselves in rainbow flags, become soft-spoken, weak-kneed voices for a message that is too often a collection of bumper sticker slogans that has left our world unchanged, unchallenged, and no reason to be offended at the truth.
Truth, by its very nature, is offensive.
When we are silent and cowardly for the truth the scripture teaches. The results are “Christians” who have almost no knowledge about virtue, modesty, humility, separation, fasting, and being a bold witness.
In every structure and culture of authority, the apparatus is under tremendous pressure to cover up, downplay, and obstruct an honest inspection of what is happening.
Prayer,
Lord, help me to be courageous enough to do the right thing, speak the truth, and be willing to live, talk, and stand for truth even when it comes to a cost.