Joshua 1:9 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.” One of the most interesting things we can see in a person is their courage. When I think of courage, I think of Christ… All that He was, all that He did, and how He changed the world.
Jesus was the greatest person to walk the face of the earth. Ephesians 4:13 says, “till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.” We need to measure ourselves with Christ. I Peter 2:21-25 offers me so much encouragement. Just look at everything Jesus did, and he did it willingly.
Jesus showed that He was brave & courageous by coming into this world. Can you imagine the burden that Jesus had to carry coming into this world? Not only was He recognized before His birth to be great, but He was also recognized as the one to sit on the throne of His father David, to reign over the house of Jacob, and there would be no end to His kingdom. This same man was to take away the “sins of the world” (John 1:29).
He came not as a king, or a prince, but as a poor peasant carpenter. He was born of a young woman and they laid Him in a manger in Bethlehem. He had to face persecution from His friends, His enemies, His family, His hometown, and His own apostles. The world despised Him and did not accept them. Would you come into a world that you knew would not appreciate you, that would persecute you, mock you, beat you, and crucify you? Jesus did! He knew it was all for others and He wanted to good for world.
Jesus not only had to be brave and courageous by coming into this world in the form He did but consider all the people He had to be around. He grew up under one of the most ruthless empires this world has ever known. At His birth Herod killed every baby under the age of two. What a burden to bear? This would have been horrifying. Mary and Joseph kept Jesus, but the other families would have been sad and depressed.
Jesus also had to live a perfect life. This is hard for humans. Only Jesus did this. No one else has ever done it. That takes a very brave and courageous person. Ephesians 4:13 and I Peter 2:21-25 are just two scriptures that teach us of Jesus’ perfect life. Jesus had to come to this earth and life a perfect life to be the perfect sacrifice. If Jesus would have sinned one time, His life, death, would have been in vain. Imagine having to live 33 years without sinning. He was brave!
We can’t be perfect, but we can be bold and courageous like Jesus.