BBD 12.10.14 Courage Through Faith (New)
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The Burning
Bush Devotional
12.10.14
Courage
Through Faith
Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of
witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares
us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto
Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set
before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the
right hand of the throne of God. - Hebrews 12:1-2 NKJV.
Manon
Ossevoort has finally made it to the South Pole, and it only took nine years!
Manon used a Massey Ferguson MF 5610 tractor to drive there. I’m wondering when
John Deere will step up to the plate here? Because it looks like Massey
Ferguson may have the best tractor? Manon is now 38-years-old and a mother of a
young daughter. The adventure began in 2005 from her hometown in the
Netherlands. She drove the tractor 23,612 miles (38,000 km) from Europe to Cape
Town in South Africa, but missed the ship because of delays that would have
taken her to Antarctica. Manon then had to wait four years before making the
final 1,553 mile (2,500 km) part of the journey across the Antarctica land mass.
Manon’s
expedition was named Antarctica2 honoring Sir Edmund Hillary, who made the
journey in 1958 on a tractor which had tracks. Manon’s Massey Ferguson has
inflated tires. The Antarctic part of the journey was the most difficult
traveling 23 hours and sometimes more every day. The seven member team faced
-56C temperatures, crevasse fields, solid ice-waves, and altitude sickness. Manon said this after arriving at the South Pole, “Wow! I've made
it! To have dreams is beautiful but to see them realized is the most extraordinary
feeling. I'm inspired.” She says this about this amazing feat, “Fear holds
people back from pursuing their dreams, and many believe that putting them into
reality is as impossible as driving a tractor to the South Pole. The tractor
for me symbolizes this very down to earth fact that if you want to do
something, maybe you will not be so fast but if you keep going and keep your
sense of humor you will get there.” Manon is also an actress, which
makes me wonder if maybe John Deere can have an actress like Angelina Jolie
make a trip down south too? (Orange News 12.10.14;
Daily Mail 12.10.14)
What is it that Jesus told Mary? “For with God nothing will be impossible (Luke 1:37 NKJV).” It was a tremendous statement of courage that Mary
responded with her statement of faith, “Behold the
maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word (Luke 1:38 NKJV).”
God called Mary to put aside her fears. Just as Manon said, fear does hold back
many from pursuing their dreams. God called Mary, and I believe God calls every
child of God to put away the fear, and to face life with courage.
When
you respond to the call of God, it is not necessarily an easy life that He will
lead you through, and it will require endurance as you run the race of life.
The call of God for most will be in some ways as challenging and difficult as
driving a tractor to the South Pole. We have a choice in life. We can choose to
allow the emotion of fear to rule us, or we can choose to act in courage. Fear
is an emotion, but courage is an action. We can decide as Mary did to act with
courage even though we may be “troubled (Luke 1:29)”
by what we are facing.
How can
we have the courage to act when the fear of the known and of the unknown is so
powerful; even overwhelming at times? We can have courage by having faith. How
do we have faith? “So then faith comes by hearing, and
hearing by the word of God (Romans 10:17).” Mary responded courageously
because of the faith that was instilled in her upon hearing the Word of God
spoken by the angel, “For with God nothing will be
impossible.” You can have that same faith, because our God has not
changed. “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today,
and forever (Hebrews 13:8 NKJV.”
Copyright © 2014. Ed Wrather. The
Burning Bush website has been online since January 31, 1998. On June 8, 1998
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