“What is good for us always comes by three unequivocal words: life, light, and love. Defending life, witnessing light, living out love; these remain forever. They are the specific duty of anyone who calls upon God, following Christ’s unmistakable example.
An assembly where people do not love each other, where they accuse each other, where there is rancor or hatred, cannot call itself Christian.
A person who keeps silent about the truth, who hides the light, is not Christian.
A people which kills, which deteriorates the quality of life, which suffocates the poor, which is not free, is not a Christian people.
This is terribly costly. It is drawn from the silence of God. It calls for swimming against the stream. It demands lengthy prayer. And no fear.”
~ From The God Who Comes, by Carlo Carretto
“And no fear.” That’s a nice, pithy statement – probably would look nice on a throw pillow.
Crud. That’s clever, Drake. I hear what you mean. Even with Scripture’s clear call to faith and courage as opposed to fear, even with our Lord’s unmistakable promise that he has overcome everything we fear, even with his command to “have no fear,” even with our confidence in our own salvation in Christ, it seems impossible to not be afraid.
Maybe a call to bravery would communicate better. Maybe a reference to courage would be easier.
On the other hand, “fear” is the word. It is one of the great enemies.
Perhaps, the gist of the whole thing is a determination to fight the fear, to not give in to the fear. To recognize when the fear is there, but resolve to never let it win the day.
Leonard,
It’s fear – let’s call it what it is.
It’s where my patented Gospel of Presence comes in – it’s pretty lonely out on an island all by yourself but not nearly as scary when you have an actual human with you.
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On a more fun topic -read David Moore’s article about the Ring of Honor