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Do you believe that only some people have courage? And maybe you think you’re not one of the brave people? James Detert, author of the book Choosing Courage, says, “One of the things that has troubled me is the false notion that any virtue like courage or honesty is required only from some of us some of the time.”*
We are all required to have courage, just like we are all required to be honest. That’s why different characters in the Bible are told to be courageous. In fact, this courage from ordinary people was noticeable in the Bible. Acts 4:13 says, “When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.”(NIV)
Yes, the apostle Peter was just an ordinary guy. Oh, he did have the courage to go to the courtyard of the house where Jesus was put on trial. But when he was asked if he was a follower of Jesus, he denied him — three different times. Yet in Acts 4, he is noted as having astonishing courage, in spite of being unschooled and ordinary.
The passage also gives us the secret for developing courage in our own lives. It notes that Peter and John had been with Jesus. Like any virtue, time with Jesus develops courage. Do you want some astonishing courage? Then spend time with Jesus!
*Ron Carucci, “Finding Your Courage To Speak Up When It Matters Most,” Forbes, June 6, 2021, https://www.forbes.com/sites/roncarucci/2021/06/06/finding-your-courage-to-speak-up-when-it-matters-most/
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Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.