The Gift of Courage
2 Timothy 1:6-7
So I ask you to make full use of the gift God gave you when I placed my hands on you. Use it well. God's Spirit doesn't make cowards out of us. The Spirit gives us power, love, and self-control.
God has given us the gift of Courage
One of my favorite movies to watch when I was growing up was "The Wizard of Oz". And of the characters that Dorothy befriended on her journey to find a way home, the cowardly lion was my favorite. Lions are supposed to be brave and strong. The king of the jungle. Instead, the lion was afraid of everything...even himself!
Later we realize that although the lion thinks of himself as cowardly, he is actually more brave than he realized. He just needed someone to come alongside him and remind him of who he was really meant to be.
We were meant to live courageously. In fact, God gives us the power to be brave through His Holy Spirit. 2 Timothy 1:6-7 (CEV) says, "So I ask you to make full use of the gift God gave you when I placed my hands on you. Use it well. God's Spirit doesn't make cowards out of us. The Spirit gives us power, love, and self-control."
I love that God is specific in giving us those three together. Courage without love can make us cruel and courage without self-control can make us bullies. So we'll gladly receive His trio of gifts in just the right amount to make full use of His gift of courage.
Read more devotions written by Denise Harper at Treasured Inside
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