Be Brave

“Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong.  1Corinthians:16:13 (NKJV)

What does it mean to “be brave”? The King James uses the phrase “quit you like men” the nearest thing to this single use of the verb in scripture is found in Joshua 1:6 and translated be of good courage. I prefer the picture painted by “quit you like men”.

My choice may be skewed by the fact that I’m a father with sons. My one great desire for my sons was that they become good men. Their mother wanted the same for them. However, our perspectives were different as evidenced by our varied reactions to the choices our sons made. When our oldest brought home a Marine recruiter, I was thrilled. His mother was angry at his wanting to waste his life. Military service is not completely altruistic, yet one cannot escape the fact it is service.

The term “real man” is tossed around quite freely (mostly by women). Again, the perspective is different. To a father looking for goodness in his sons, a real man is the man who shoulders responsibility, who does his duty, and who honors and protects others—even as Psalm 15 says, to his own hurt. A real man’s first thought is never for himself. A real man serves. That, my friend, requires a great deal of bravery.

“To quit” as used in the verse doesn’t mean to stop. It means to perform. The traits mentioned above were lacking at Corinth. They were, for the most part, boastful, proud, capricious, self-seeking men. Paul urged them to be brave enough to step aside and let another speak, to share, and to cease their boasts. Corith was a rich city where wealth, prestige, and position were the mark of a man. To seek something other than what the crowd desires require a man be brave in word and deed.

Jesus demonstrated bravery throughout His life. He would not be deterred from His duty to do the will of the Father. He bore hardship, discomfort, and criticism without complaint or threats. That done, He consented to be crucified. He was not dragged away from the garden of Gethsemane; he walked away after securing the safety of His disciples. God, the Father testified He was well pleased with His Son.

Jesus, for the joy that was set before Him, endured the cross. Bravery values the ultimate good above the discomfort of the moment. That’s the type of bravery to which we are called. It is the kind bravery God meant for us when He fashioned us from the earth.

Maranatha