C. S. Lewis wrote, ―Courage is not simply one of the virtues but the form of every virtue at the testing point, which means at the point of highest reality. Without courage, men and women will fail to be loving, to sacrifice, to count the cost, to tackle the challenges or take on the responsibilities that God calls them to. Undoubtedly, one cause of remaining immature and one of the shortest routes to ineffectiveness is to run scared, to be overly cautious, to play it close to the vest. Unless, through the courage of faith, we are willing to saddle up, we will simply remain in the corral and miss the growth experiences and fruitfulness of the open range.
Love is rudimentary; it is where we are rooted and grounded to our faith. Paul will tell the Thessalonians, this is where their strength lies and this is where they will need to continue to grow because it opens the door to holiness. Like he said to the Ephesians, this love surpasses all knowledge.
TEXT: 1 THESSALONIANS 3:9-13
SONGS: SURRENDER, HILLSONG
LORD I NEED YOU, AUSTIN STONE
HYMN OF HEAVEN, PHIL WICKHAM