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Daring and Courageous
Andrea Lende • September 11, 2020
Mark 15:43
Daring and Courageous
You can also listen to the meditation and prayer at: https://anchor.fm/andrea-lende/episodes/Daring-and-Courageous-ejgaad
Daily Word:
Mark 15:43
“Joseph, he of Arimathea, noble and honorable in rank and a respected member of the council (Sanhedrin), who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God, daring the consequences, took courage and ventured to go to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus.”
Courage.
Being courageous.
I was struck with the words, “daring the consequences, took courage”
in this verse.
The Lord has a purpose for each of us.
Each purpose is of utmost importance.
In the verse today it was Joseph.
He was chosen to put Jesus in a resting place for three days.
Joseph didn’t know it would be only three days.
But God did.
The Lord had a plan for his Son’s body.
It was a new tomb.
It was fine linens to wrap His body in.
It was one hundred pounds of myrrh and aloe.
Joseph was chosen by the Lord to take care of Jesus upon His death.
He had a divine mission.
Our verse tells us he was a respected and honored member of the Sanhedrin.
As such, he could not show outward devotion to Jesus, but he was secretly a disciple of Jesus.
His mission took courage.
If found out, he would have been cast out of the church and out of his prominent position.
He faced the danger of losing his status and probably income.
But, “daring the consequences, (he) took courage”
to complete his divine mission.
It seems we all need courage right now.
These days and times are so unnerving that we become fearful and possibly stopped from doing God’s perfect will.
We may need to pivot to a new place of work.
Or we may need to give up a position to stay home with our children.
This may also mean giving up other things because income changes.
Some have lost income already.
Lives will be changed forever because of the current circumstances of our world.
We face new fears.
With each new day there seems to be new fears coming our way.
However, God has a plan.
He has a plan for each of us.
Even in these weird times.
Each of us serves Him in a very specific way.
Equally important in His sight.
I am in awe of the omniscience of our God.
How can He be involved in all the moving parts of every person’s life in an ever- changing world?
He is an awesome God.
We serve the Almighty God.
And He uses us to carry out His purpose.
Today I choose to be daring and bold and courageous even inside of the fears that roll around in my head so that I can carry out God’s will for my life.
May you find that God will put courage and strength inside your heart and soul so that You can do as He asks of you.
Daily Prayer:
O Lord, my God, thank You for showing me that You have a plan for each and every one of us. Thank You for showing me that we must be daring and courageous as we carry out Your plans for our lives. May You strengthen us to do as You ask. Help us conquer our fears so that we may glorify You. Help us be obedient to Your call. Help us hear You and be sure it is Your voice so that we may move forward and not be stopped by our fears. May Your Holy Spirit give us the grit and strength to fight the enemy as You have given us power over all evil. Keep us from sinning and hurting others, Lord. Help us fight hatred with Your love. May Your love prevail over this world and all its people. Help us bless someone this day. Thank You for hearing our prayer.
Answer: I AM strengthening My people and equipping them to do as I ask.
Response: Keep us focused on You, Lord, as we carry out Your perfect plan.
We start a New Year! How exciting! Paul had just finished telling the Ephesians to put off their old nature. They had been run around by their feelings and desires. He told them to be renewed in their spirit. The Amplified Bible defines this to be “having a fresh mental and spiritual attitude.” As we say goodbye to this year, let us put on the new and leave the old behind. We have an opportunity to reflect on what to bring forward into this New Year.
This is a great message for the New Year. We can be in control of our own words. As a mother, I used to tell my children to use their words to explain what was happening in their minds. I tried to help them find the right words. Words that would help the situation and not make it worse. I must do the same thing when talking to them. It’s important to use words that do not damage their spirits. Words that lift up instead of tear down. Even though my children have grown, I still want to be careful how I speak to them because my worlds will impact them for the rest of their lives.
As we approach the New Year, it is a perfect time to take inventory of what part of our lives, our hearts, and our souls are not bearing fruit. What can we give up as this year comes to a close? What do we need to give to the Lord for His cleansing and pruning? The answers to these questions take time. Time with the Lord. We are creatures of routines and habits which serve us well. But we can also change our routines and habits to serve us and the Lord better. So, we can ask God to show us what He wants us to give up so that He can have more of us.
I cannot think of a better verse to meditate on as we approach the New Year. Jesus said, "the kingdom of God is within you [in your hearts] and among you [surrounding you]." For so many years I believed I had to wait to go to heaven to experience the kingdom of God. I have longed to step into heaven and meet the Lord and His Son. However, as we read the Gospels and study Jesus and all that He said, we begin to understand the kingdom of God is all around us. The kingdom of God is within.
Paul wrote to the Colossians and told them he was praying for them. He prayed they would be refreshed, renewed, and invigorated. He also prayed they would be strengthened. May his prayer be heard by the Lord God Almighty on our behalf today just as it was received two thousand years ago. God is the Source of all things beautiful and wonderful. There is no shortage of renewal, refreshment, or inspiration in His kingdom. And as the Creator of this universe, He continues to pour all good things into His people. Paul wrote that refreshment and strength are needed so we may have endurance.
This verse is the perfect verse to reflect on as Christmas comes to a close. The Lord sent His Son to us. He sent Him to this world as a babe. Jesus was given the task of growing up. A difficult one for all of us. He endured the awkward stages we all go through as we grow past them. I look back at old picture and cringe, yes, I cringe. This life provides plenty of opportunities to feel awkward and just plain weird, but our Father loves us as though we are perfect every day of our lives. This is why Jesus came. He came to make us perfect in God’s sight.
God made Himself flesh so He could take away the sins of the world. The story of the very first Christmas was humble, yet the most powerful and loving birth ever recorded in history. All humanity changed in an instant. When Jesus was born, love filled the earth. Love came down and lifted us up. The angels came to tell the shepherds of this beautiful birth. The stars in the heavens also told the story. As we do all tasks that we do to ensure a beautiful Christmas day, may we remember the miracle that God sent long ago. The miracle of all miracles.
The first Christmas was going to be documented, so that it could be read many times over for all Christmas’ to come. It was also documented so the prophecy of the Messiah’s birth would be known to be fulfilled. Prophets of old foretold Jesus would come from the house of David. They also prophesied that He would be born in Bethlehem. And all this came to pass. Even though Jesus would be known as a Nazarene, His beginning began in Bethlehem. God’s divine plan was set in motion with the first census while Mary was at the end of her pregnancy.
What a wonderful passage to read during Christmas week. Our passage touched my heart as I read it through the lens of Jesus’ birth. “It was God [personally present] in Christ, reconciling and restoring the world to favor with Himself.” We have so much to be thankful for in these few short words, “restoring the world to favor with Himself.” So undeserved and yet so graciously given. We are offered favor with the Lord. Imagine having favor with the almighty God, the Creator of the universe. Jesus chose to leave heaven’s door where all was perfect. He chose to be born into this dusty messy world.
Jesus had just spoken to a fig tree and deemed it unworthy to live because it had no fruit on it. His disciples were amazed when they saw the fig tree wither and die. Then the Lord talked to them about prayer and belief. He told them that whatever they asked for, if they had the faith and belief, they would receive it. I remember the day I started hearing music and lyrics. I had just bowed my head at the piano and asked if the Lord would bless praise and worship music. As soon as I prayed that prayer, the Lord bestowed the gift of song writing upon me.