Welcome back to another episode of the Weekday Podcast! Today’s message, drawn from 1 Corinthians 16, emphasizes Paul’s powerful call to be on guard, stand firm in faith, and act with love. While it’s easy to feel timid and overwhelmed, this discussion highlights that true courage comes not from within, but from a deep connection to God. Listeners will explore how to embrace weaknesses as opportunities for strength, face fears with faith, and live boldly in love. Join in as we uncover what it truly means to tap into divine courage and strength!
Hi, everybody, and thanks so much for joining me. This is Pastor Chuck Allen with another weekday podcast where I want to go back again to First Corinthians chapter 16, beginning in verse 13. Be on guard, Paul says. Stand firm in the faith, he says. Be courageous, be strong, and then do everything with love. In this verse, Paul gives us these commands. Picture a lion, majestic mane, powerful muscles, eyes that seem to pierce right through you. Now imagine that strength, that courage dwelling within you. I know, sounds far fetched, right? But not to Paul. He calls us to be courageous and to be strong. But if we got real for just a minute, most days, we don't feel like lions. We feel more like kittens, timid, unsure, easily startled by life's challenges. How do we bridge that gap? Well, the secret lies not in mustering up our own courage, but in tapping into a source far greater than ourselves. Remember Joshua standing on the brink of the promised land, probably feeling a lot like a kitten himself, and God says, this is my command, buddy. Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. You catch that? Our courage and strength didn't come from within, neither did Joshua's. They came and it comes from the presence of God in our life. We get to borrow his strength. It's less about pumping ourselves up and more about letting God's power flow through us. Kind of think of it like this. You're not a battery trying to generate your own power. You're an extension cord designed to plug into the ultimate power source. Oh, and what a difference that connection makes. Paul understood this when he wrote, each time he said, my grace is all you need. My power works best in your weakness. So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses so that the power of Christ can work through me. That's what he said in 2 Corinthians 12, 9. Our weaknesses, they're just opportunities for God's strength to shine even brighter. Have you ever noticed that the more strength you have and the brighter your strength, often the more glaring your weaknesses are? This is where God shines through. So how do we live out this courage and strength in our everyday life? Well, number one, face your fears with faith. Courage isn't the absence of fear. It's moving forward despite the fear, hand in hand with God, our strength. Number two, embrace your weaknesses. They're not liabilities. They're opportunities for God's power to be displayed. Three, stand up for truth and justice. In a world that often chooses comfort over conviction, be the one who speaks up. And number four, love boldly and sacrificially. Sometimes the most courageous act is to love when it's hard to forgive when it hurts. Remember the Proverbs 31 woman? She's described as someone who is clothed with strength and dignity, and she laughs without fear of the future. That can be you, friend, not because you're so strong on your own, but because you're tapping into the strength way beyond yourself, but it's all heaven sent. God bless you, friend. Thanks again for joining me on today's weekday podcast.
