Good morning everybody! This week we’re talking about real courage.  I don’t know what comes to your mind when you think of courage, maybe a soldier on the battlefield, someone who’s taking a stand at work or something like that.  But courage is the core of what it means to follow Jesus and be used by Jesus.  It takes courage to do that.

 

Every August in Canton, OH there is a large gathering of people who install football heroes in the Football Hall of Fame.  These men are immortalized in bronze and they’re always remembered for their great courage on the football field.  

Well, in the Bible, there are those who stand out above the rest, who are kind of immortalized as great men of courage.  There are three that are mentioned in the Book of Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego.  You may know this story from Daniel 3.  These guys were Hebrew boys that were brought over into Babylon, and they were elevated to levels of position, but when the king said, At the sound of the music, everyone bows down to my image, these three guys would not bow.  They would not do it.  They took a courageous stand.  At that point, they were even thrown into a fiery furnace, but God miraculously saved them.  He miraculously intervened, so they become a picture of courage.  

What we’re going to do is look at their example, and examine what courage looks like in your life?  You’re facing difficult situations.  You’re facing hard calls.  Maybe you’re facing trials and situations that are daunting.  How do you face that with courage?  That’s what we’re going to talk about it.  I just pray that as you turn this off today, that you just ask God to teach you how to live courageously for him!  It’s going to be a great subject, and I’m looking forward to it!

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