Got Courage?

Speaking of Courage…I am having MAJOR Technical Difficulties with this Post!  But Mary never gave up so neither shall I! 🙂

So who are You? A Cowardly Lion? Or a Fearless Mary? Basking in the afterglow of an awesome Homegoing for our beloved Mary Taylor last week, I ponder what it means to have Courage. Verily there is a plethora of verses about courage (or lack thereof).  So I selected this one out of 1 Corinthians because it provides a Got Courage? Checklist:

1 Corinthians 16:13-14 NIV 13 Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong. 14 Do everything in love.

So let’s apply this checklist to Mary, shall we?

• #1. Was she always on her guard? Oh yes! Even as far as challenging Pastor David Whitmore when his hair got too long!

• #2. Did she stand firm in the faith? Well if you mean faithfully attending Bartimaeus Baptist Temple for 55 years, then yes. Though little more than skin and bones in her wheelchair, she stood head and shoulders above any of us.

• #3. Was she a Woman of Courage? Was she strong? Though the eyes of the world saw only a “little old lady” in a wheelchair, God saw a Giant! Verily Mary so graciously showed us how when we are weak, we are very strong (2 Cor. 12:10 NIV).

• #4. Did she do everything in love? She loved her family, loved her friends, and loved her church. And now she reaps the bountiful rewards in Heaven.

Well Done thou Good & Faithful Servant Mary!

Do I dare you to take the Mary Challenge and see how I stack up?   When I do it looks something like this: Mary? Stellar. Me? Not so much.

Ah! But the Good News is that according to Anthony DeStefano in his book “Ten Prayers That God Always Says Yes To,” your prayer “God, grant me courage!” is one He ALWAYS says Yes to. So how about you?  Pray it today. And watch God transform your Cowardly Lion into a Fearless Mary for His Glory.  Amen! 🙂

Image Source:  http://nickshell1983.files.wordpress.com/2010/12/tnhwizardofoz0018.jpg