4. Many times in Scripture,
strength and courage are
joined together
“As I was with Moses, so will I be with you; I will not
fail you or forsake you. Be strong and of good
courage; for you shall cause this people to inherit
the land which I swore to their fathers to give them.
Only be strong and very courageous....”
(Joshua 1:5b-7a)
“Just as we obeyed Moses in all
things, so we will obey you.... Only be
strong and of good courage.”
(Joshua 17-18)
5. We are really more concerned with
moral and spiritual strength:
resilience, decisiveness, integrity,
discipline and self-control; toughness;
man of principle.
6. Courage is the mental or
moral strength which enables
a person to venture forth,
persevere, and withstand
firmly and resolutely any
danger, fear or difficulty.
Strength the quality or state of being strong, in particular.
Courage the ability to do something that frightens one.
Strength and courage are two traits one would normally expect from men. Generally speaking, men are physically stronger than women. And while women are also capable of great courage, it is an observable fact that men are expected to exhibit greater valor in the face of danger.
Many times in Scripture, strength and courage are joined together:
God said to Joshua, “As I was with Moses, so will I be with you; I will not fail you or forsake you. Be strong and of good courage; for you shall cause this people to inherit the land which I swore to their fathers to give them. Only be strong and very courageous....” (Joshua 1:5b-7a)
The Israelites later said to Joshua, “Just as we obeyed Moses in all things, so we will obey you.... Only be strong and of good courage.” (1:17-18) This is also what the people expected of their leader.
While it might perhaps be a good thing to discuss physical strength, we are really more concerned with moral and spiritual strength: resilience, decisiveness, integrity, discipline and self-control. A good word to use in describing what we’re after: toughness, especially in moral and spiritual matters. Another good phrase: man of principle.
The word “courage” comes from both the Latin and French words for “heart.” It is the core of a man, the center of his being.
Courage is the mental or moral strength which enables a person to venture forth, persevere, and withstand firmly and resolutely any danger, fear or difficulty.
To be courageous is to be more than brave, for there is a moral element to it.
It is possible to be fearless, perhaps even brave, while at the same time doing something very stupid.
The courageous man steadily faces various perils, because he hears “the call of duty.”
To be courageous does not mean having no fear. Rather, it is doing the right thing in spite of fear; doing the right thing even in the face of opposition, “because it is the right thing.”
The fear of the cross did not keep Jesus away from it. The fear of leprosy did not keep St. Francis of Assisi from working with and taking care of lepers.
The opposite of courage is cowardice. A coward runs away, refuses to face his responsibilities. He is fainthearted, fearful and timorous.
Example today: Many Christians have a fear of evangelizing. They’re afraid of approaching someone to talk to him/her about the Lord. The fear of rejection and of making mistakes is very real. It takes courage to talk to people about Jesus, and not allow fear to stop us.
In Joshua, we have seen that strength and courage are inter-connected. Another good example from Scripture is the story of David and Goliath. [Note to the speaker:
Summarize and dramatically recount the story; cf. 1 Samuel 17.
Also give other, more contemporary examples, like the following: A brother had a great difficulty in finding a place for his regular prayer time. He was also being harassed and laughed at by his family. He was tempted to give his prayer time up for all of those reasons, thinking that “God would understand.” But he decided to stick to his decision to pray. He ended up having to pray every morning on the roof top! He courageously and aggressively dealt with the situation, not allowing it to turn him aside from doing what was right.]
Overly afraid of being hurt
This doesn’t mean we go out looking for pain, or that we enjoy having it. (The media sometimes gives us this idea, showing us super-athletes almost clamoring for pain, pounding their bodies, etc.)
Nor does this mean being unwise and foolhardy; men who throw caution to the wind. It’s okay to have a proper self-protectiveness.
Let’s be men who can handle a certain amount to discomfort, even pain; men who can “rough it up” and take our share of suffering. Such suffering may be physical, emotional or spiritual. Remember the saying, “No pain, no gain”? How can we dream of doing great deeds of strength and courage, if we can’t even accept a little hurt?
The mentality of “This doesn’t really affect...why should I get involved?” when it comes to things like dirty jokes, nudity in media, etc. Or we tolerate what is wrong among our friends, such as slander, or loose sexual behavior, instead of telling them directly that they are wrong.
As men of God, we should be eager to “crush the enemy,” deal aggressively and purposefully with sin and sinful situations.
Tolerating evil, or “adjusting” to it, is like the frog who was placed in a pan of cool water, which was slowly heated. Since the frog could adjust its body temperature to the water, he didn’t realize what was happening even when the water began to boil! Similarly, if we tolerate evil, we won’t be able to fight them when the evil becomes too great.
Such as basing our relationship with God on our feelings. The focus is on the self.
Or a passive approach in responding to God’s call to us, e.g., “Juan Tamad”
In the next talk, we will discuss what is the appropriate spirituality for men.
“OK sa pakikisama.” Never says No. Always remains neutral and tries not to offend anyone. Doesn’t hurt anyone, nor correct anybody. Always worrying about how people feel, or how they will react to him; a “people pleaser.”
Extreme case (joke): Somebody hits him in the head, and he apologizes to him for hurting his hand!
Our main concern should be to please the Lord, not to win in a popularity contest. In fact, sometimes we are called upon to do what is unpopular, such as speaking out against evil or wrongdoing.
One CYA brother was sitting next to his “crush” during a school exam. The girl began to ask for answers to the test questions. The brother was tempted to help, because that would be a good way to start a relationship. But he resisted the temptation, and refused to answer. So the girl snubbed him for the rest of the school year!
In a particular situation, if the choice is between being liked and being respected, we should opt to be respected.
Being strong and courageous doesn’t mean we go around looking for trouble! Or that we are ready to lash out against anyone who disobeys God’s laws. Etc.
Rather it means proclaiming the truth of the Gospel with our own lives; through our words and deeds. As we live the Christian life, especially in a world that does not recognize God’s kingship, we will inevitably run into situations that will test our fidelity and commitment. Those are the times when we will have to remain firm and steadfast in our convictions, in our “first loyalty” to God.
Let’s rely on the power of God, of his Holy Spirit, to give us the strength we need, and to exhibit the right kind of courage that will bring about righteousness in our lives and in the lives of those around us.
