“For I am ready not only to be bound,
but also to die at Jerusalem
for the name of the Lord Jesus”
(Acts 21:13).
I was at a hospital, visiting a firefighter who had been burned due to his heroic intervention in a fire. He was in intensive care; his situation was not serious, but delicate. After greeting him, and trying to encourage him, I decided to congratulate him on his courageous actions and spirit of service. Barely opening his eyes, with his hand raised, and with a weak but convincing voice, he thanked me. However, almost instantly he assured me that there was nothing about which to congratulate. He simply said, “That’s what we’re here for.”
Since then, I have thought many times about his five-word sermon: “That’s what we’re here for.” In reality, firefighters are not there to burn or injure themselves. However, in their service to protect property and lives, if it is necessary to risk their own to save others, they are willing to do so.
Paul was also very clear about the purpose of his life and ministry. Acts 21 narrates the prophecy of Agabus, who dramatized what would happen to Paul by tying his feet and hands with the apostle’s belt, thus predicting that he would be taken prisoner in Jerusalem. In an insistent way, the brethren sought to keep Paul from going to Jerusalem, but he could not be persuaded: he was not only willing to be bound, but he was also willing to die for Christ, if necessary. He was determined to do whatever was necessary and, by the grace of God, not only to endure it but also to suffer it with joy.
The trials and anxieties that Paul had endured had preyed upon his physical powers. The infirmities of age were upon him. He felt that he was now doing his last work, and, as the time of his labor grew shorter, his efforts became more intense. There seemed to be no limit to his zeal. Resolute in purpose, promt in action, strong in faith, he journeyed from church to church, in many lands, and sought by every means within his power to strengthen the hands of the believers, that they might do faithful work in winning souls to Jesus, and that in the trying times upon which they were even then entering, they might remain steadfast to the gospel, bearing faithful witness for Christ (The Acts of the Apostles, p. 488).
Paul’s efforts were increasingly intense.
His missionary purpose was non-negotiable;
his actions urgent and imperative. His passion
and courage to fulfill the mission had no limits.
“Courage isn’t having the strenght to go on,
it is going on when you don’t have strenght”
– Napoleon Bonaparte -.
Can be the same said of us?
God bless you, may He fill you with the spirit of Courage…