The them for our L2L convention this year is from Joshua 1:9. That verse says, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” I would like to share some thoughts about what I think of when I hear these words from the Bible.
Several Bible verses come to my mind when I think of this verse. One is Deuteronomy 31:6, which sounds exactly like Joshua 1:9, and says, “Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.” This is an amazing promise from God to His people.
II Chronicles 15:7 says, “But you, be strong and do not let your hands be weak, for your work shall be rewarded.” There are several other verses in the Old Testament that say something similar but this one shows that we will be rewarded if we are strong and brave.
Psalm 31:23-24 says, “Oh, love the Lord, all you His saints! For the Lord preserves the faithful,and fully repays the proud person. Be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart, all you who hope in the Lord.” This would have been sung by the Israelites. We need to be strengthened in our heart.
I Corinthians 16:13-14, Paul said, “Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong. Let all that you do be done with love.” This verse is found in the New Testament, but these all correspond to each other. We need to have courage to put ourselves out there preaching the gospel. We may be rejected but we must keep moving forward. It takes bravery and courage.
Think about Jesus. It took Jesus a lot of courage to preach to those who were intimidated by His works and ministry. I cannot imagine living the perfect life. People were getting hung on a cross for stealing and other crimes. The Romans were harsh and brutal for no reason against Jesus. It took a lot of courage for Him to go out and preach. It was stressful. They had their eyes on Him and He knew He will die. These men would kill him, but He was faithful to the very end. Let’s be like Jesus.