|
| Astonishing Courage |
|
| "When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized they were ordinary men, they were astonished." ( Acts 4:13 , NIV ) |
|
Courage is a word we seldom use except for military might. We rarely use the word courageous for a person who has said "No" to a dishonest request or for a person who has said "Yes" to help another person when it is a difficult or inconvenient need to meet. We seldom use the word courageous about a person who is striving to quit a bad habit or to learn a more positive way to talk to others. But that is what courage is: "responding to danger without thought of retreat." Courage is not just about military danger. It is also about the danger of bad deeds, of ignoring a person in need, of a bad habit uncontrolled. The courageous person does not retreat.
It takes courage to temporarily give up a career goal to care for young children, to curtail a workaholic tendency, to develop a loving relationship with family, to follow God's plan in a world that belittles godly ways, to live a good and worthwhile life when you are in physical or emotional pain. It takes courage to allow your mind to be transformed. Courage is not an isolated character quality; it is foundational to being a Christian. Ordinary people who are courageous astound the world and give God pleasure! |
|
Dear Father, grant me courage that if I fail while working for a good cause I will continue to strive. Sometimes I am afraid to trust You. Please forgive me and give me courage to do better. In Jesus' name. Amen. - SUSAN K. GIBONEY, Malibu, California |
|
|
|
| ³î¶ó¿î ¿ë±â |
|
| "ÀúÈñ°¡ º£µå·Î¿Í ¿äÇÑÀÌ ±âź¾øÀÌ ¸»ÇÔÀ» º¸°í ±× º»·¡ Çй® ¾ø´Â ¹üÀÎÀ¸·Î ¾Ë¾Ò´Ù°¡ ÀÌ»óÈ÷ ¿©±â¸ç." ( »çµµÇàÀü 4:13) |
|
'¿ë±â'¶ó´Â ¸»Àº ±º»çÀûÀÎ ÈûÀ» ³ªÅ¸³»´Â °æ¿ì¸¦ Á¦¿ÜÇϰí´Â Á»Ã³·³ ¾²Áö ¾Ê´Â ´Ü¾îÀÔ´Ï´Ù. '¿ë±â ÀÖ´Â'À̶õ ´Ü¾îµµ ¿ÇÁö ¸øÇÑ ¿ä±¸¿¡ '¾Æ´Ï¿À' ¶ó°í ¸»ÇÏ´Â »ç¶÷À̳ª ´Ù¸¥ »ç¶÷ÀÇ Çʿ信 ºÎÀÀÇÏ±â ¾î·Æ°Å³ª °ï¶õÇÑ °æ¿ì¿¡µµ ³²À» µ½±â À§ÇØ '¿¹'¶ó°í ¸»ÇÏ´Â »ç¶÷¿¡°Ô Á¶Â÷ Àß »ç¿ëÇÏÁö ¾Ê½À´Ï´Ù. ¶Ç, ³ª»Û ½À°üÀ» ²÷À¸·Á ¾Ö¾²´Â »ç¶÷À̳ª ´Ù¸¥ »ç¶÷¿¡°Ô Á» ´õ ±àÁ¤ÀûÀÎ ´ëȸ¦ ÇÏ´Â ¹æ¹ýÀ» ¹è¿ì´Â »ç¶÷¿¡°Ô´Â ¿ë±â ÀÖ´Ù´Â ´Ü¾î¸¦ Àß ¾²Áö ¾Ê½À´Ï´Ù. ±×·±µ¥ ¿ë±â¶õ '¹°·¯¼±â¸¦ »ý°¢ÇÏÁö ¾Ê°í À§Çè¿¡ ¹ÝÀÀÇÏ´Â °Í'ÀÔ´Ï´Ù. ¿ë±â¶õ ´Ü¼øÈ÷ ±º»çÀû À§Çè¿¡ ´ëÇÑ °Í¸¸Àº ¾Æ´Õ´Ï´Ù. ³ª»Û ÇൿÀ̳ª, µµ¿òÀÌ ÇÊ¿äÇÑ »ç¶÷À» ¹«½ÃÇϰųª, Á¦¾îÇÒ ¼ö ¾ø´Â ³ª»Û ½À°ü µîÀÇ À§Çè¿¡ ´ëÇ×ÇÏ´Â °ÍÀ̱⵵ ÇÕ´Ï´Ù. ¿ë±â ÀÖ´Â »ç¶÷Àº ¹°·¯¼Áö ¾Ê½À´Ï´Ù.
¾î¸° ¾ÆÀ̵éÀ» µ¹º¸±â À§ÇØ ÀϽÃÀûÀ¸·Î Á÷¾÷¿¡ °ü·ÃÇÑ ¸ñÇ¥¸¦ Æ÷±âÇÏ´Â Çൿ, °úÁßÇÑ ÀÏÀ» ÁÙÀÌ´Â Çൿ, °¡Á·°ú »ç¶û½º·± °ü°è¸¦ ÁõÁø½ÃŰ´Â ÀÏ, Çϳª´ÔÀÇ ÀÏÀ» ¹æÇØÇÏ´Â ¼¼»ó¿¡¼ ÁÖ´ÔÀÇ °èȹÀ» µû¸£´Â ÀÏ, ¿ì¸®°¡ ½ÅüÀû, Á¤½ÅÀû °íÅë °¡¿îµ¥ ÀÖÀ» ¶§µµ ¼±ÇÏ°í °¡Ä¡ ÀÖ´Â »îÀ» »ç´Â ÀÏ µîÀº ¸ðµÎ ¿ë±â°¡ ÇÊ¿äÇÕ´Ï´Ù. ¸¶À½À» º¯È½ÃŰ´Â µ¥µµ ¿ë±â°¡ ÇÊ¿äÇÕ´Ï´Ù. ¿ë±â´Â µû·Î ¶³¾îÁø º°°³ÀÇ Ç°¼ºÀÌ ¾Æ´Ï¶ó ±×¸®½ºµµÀÎÀÌ µÇ´Â ±âÃÊÀûÀÎ ¿ä¼ÒÀÔ´Ï´Ù. ¿ë±â ÀÖ´Â Æò¹üÇÑ »ç¶÷µéÀÌ ¼¼»óÀ» ³î¶ó°Ô Çϰí Çϳª´ÔÀ» ±â»Ú½Ã°Ô ÇÕ´Ï´Ù. |
|
| »ç¶ûÇÏ´Â Çϳª´Ô ¾Æ¹öÁö, ¼±À» ÇàÇÏ´Ù°¡ ³Ñ¾îÁö´õ¶óµµ Àú¿¡°Ô ¿ë±â¸¦ Áּż ¼±ÇÑ ÀÏ¿¡ °è¼Ó Èû¾²°Ô ÇϼҼ. ¶§·Ð ÁÖ´ÔÀ» ½Å·ÚÇϱⰡ µÎ·Æ±âµµ ÇÕ´Ï´Ù. Àú¸¦ ¿ë¼ÇØ Áֽðí Á» ´õ Àß ÇÒ ¼ö ÀÖµµ·Ï ¿ë±â¸¦ ÁÖ¼Ò¼. ¿¹¼ö´Ô À̸§À¸·Î ±âµµÇÕ´Ï´Ù. ¾Æ¸à. |
|