Romans 1:16 “I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes.”
A friend of mine in his mid-20s wrote the following to me: “In your book ‘Dangerously Alive’, you talk about a brief moment of despair when you thought of going back to England where it was safe and sanitized but ‘spiritually bankrupt’ and where many people seemingly have ‘everything to live with and nothing to live for’. As I read your stories, and got to these words, I found myself crying out in despair because I realised what a coward I’ve become and how much time and money I’ve wasted on sedating myself with cigarettes, alcohol, drugs, TV, clothes, pornography, Facebook and anything else which helps me ignore the fact my life has become about existing rather than living. I’m a complete product of my generation and my main concern is to be cool rather than be courageous for Christ.”
Will we choose to be cool for Christ, or courageous for Christ? Confession time: I used to think I was the coolest Christian on campus! I had long wavy matted hair, wore funky ethnic clothing, didn’t bother with shoes much of the time, even in lectures, and I hit my pinnacle as the King of Christian Cool when I wore a T-shirt of a pig saying ‘Jesus saved my bacon’!
The fact is, coolness is overrated. Courage isn’t. Coolness will pass (it’s long gone for me). Courage stands firm. Coolness seeks to mask deficiencies and insecurities. Courage presses forward despite them. As Thucydides said at Pericles’ funeral in 431BC: “The secret of happiness is freedom, and the secret of freedom is courage.”
May we model authentic faith in our lives, not bowing to fickle fads but resting secure in our status in Christ. May we be people of substance rather than flaky. May we be rightfully proud to be children of the King, and unashamedly invite others to be adopted into the family.
God, help me to be courageous for you, today and always. Amen!
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