Finding Courage Among the Faithful: The Impact of Godly Fellowship
2 Chronicles 17:16a
And next him was Amasiah the son of Zichri, who willingly offered himself unto the LORD; …
The next best thing to offering one’s self willingly unto the Lord is standing with someone else in battle who has done so! There is nothing like being in company with mighty men of valor, especially when you feel inadequate and out of place. Yet, as awkward as it can feel, when we are privileged to be around others who have given so sacrificially of themselves to the service of the Lord, we should draw strength, courage, and motivation from them! It seems that it’s in my weakest moments that my Heavenly Father places someone in my life stronger than I am from whom I receive encouragement. It is with great astonishment and wonder that I only dream to become like some of those heroes of the faith I have been privileged to join ranks with! Never think that you’re alone in this battle, for if you look next to you, God has someone standing with you for a divine purpose! What God has done with them, for them, and through them has been at least in part for the very purpose of encouraging you to keep pressing on, knowing that the prize is worth the fight. It isn’t the young and inexperienced that we learn the most from (though their zeal is admirable), but the seasoned veterans of the faith that we have as our greatest examples, ever testifying to us that if God did it for them, He can also do it for us! It is a good thing to remember, especially when you feel alone in the battle, the great cloud of witnesses whom the Lord has surrounded you with, offering you inspiration, vision, clarity, and purpose in the cause of Christ. It is also in those lonely times that you then begin to really appreciate those who are next to you in the battle; because it’s then that you realize that there are more with you than with the adversary. I bless the Lord today for all those in my life whom the Lord has strategically used (and still using today) to make me the man I am today. I’m not perfect, but I’m a whole lot better off than I would have been without the Lord’s careful selection of all those individuals whom He felt I needed to mold and make me into the servant He wants me to be. Even now I hope and pray that the finished product will be someone that not only my predecessors will be proud of, but most importantly, that my Lord will be pleased with.
~ Pastor Gary Caudill
And next him was Amasiah the son of Zichri, who willingly offered himself unto the LORD; …
The next best thing to offering one’s self willingly unto the Lord is standing with someone else in battle who has done so! There is nothing like being in company with mighty men of valor, especially when you feel inadequate and out of place. Yet, as awkward as it can feel, when we are privileged to be around others who have given so sacrificially of themselves to the service of the Lord, we should draw strength, courage, and motivation from them! It seems that it’s in my weakest moments that my Heavenly Father places someone in my life stronger than I am from whom I receive encouragement. It is with great astonishment and wonder that I only dream to become like some of those heroes of the faith I have been privileged to join ranks with! Never think that you’re alone in this battle, for if you look next to you, God has someone standing with you for a divine purpose! What God has done with them, for them, and through them has been at least in part for the very purpose of encouraging you to keep pressing on, knowing that the prize is worth the fight. It isn’t the young and inexperienced that we learn the most from (though their zeal is admirable), but the seasoned veterans of the faith that we have as our greatest examples, ever testifying to us that if God did it for them, He can also do it for us! It is a good thing to remember, especially when you feel alone in the battle, the great cloud of witnesses whom the Lord has surrounded you with, offering you inspiration, vision, clarity, and purpose in the cause of Christ. It is also in those lonely times that you then begin to really appreciate those who are next to you in the battle; because it’s then that you realize that there are more with you than with the adversary. I bless the Lord today for all those in my life whom the Lord has strategically used (and still using today) to make me the man I am today. I’m not perfect, but I’m a whole lot better off than I would have been without the Lord’s careful selection of all those individuals whom He felt I needed to mold and make me into the servant He wants me to be. Even now I hope and pray that the finished product will be someone that not only my predecessors will be proud of, but most importantly, that my Lord will be pleased with.
~ Pastor Gary Caudill