While he was a pastor in Indianapolis, Henry Ward Beecher preached a series of sermons about gambling and drunkenness. He soundly denounced the men of the community who profited by these sins.

    The next week, Beecher was accosted on the street by a would-be assailant. Brandishing a pistol, the man demanded that Beecher make some kind of retraction about what he had said the previous Sunday. “Take it back, right here!”, he demanded with an oath, “Or I will shoot you on the spot!”

“Shoot away!”

    Beecher calmly replied, “Shoot away!” The man was taken back by his response. Beecher walked away at that point, saying over his shoulder as he left the scene, “I don’t believe you can hit the mark as well as I did!”

    Courage involves more than convictions. It has been said that “one man with courage makes a majority.” While that may be true, courage involves a willingness to speak and to act in order to bring about change — in individual lives, in families, in neighborhoods, in cities, and in nations. That kind of message requires courage because it will be actively opposed, both by those who don’t want to change and by the evil one who doesn’t want them to change.

    Deuteronomy 31:6 tells us “be strong and of good courage... for the Lord thy God...will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.” It’s not enough to “just believe” something. We must be willing to speak out, speak up, and stand up in order truly to be a courageous person. Today, let’s remember that our voice can make a difference in the lives of others if our courage will help us stand up and say what needs to be said.

Copyright (c) 2001, Timely Truths Ministries. Used by permission.
Title: "Courageous"
Author: Brent Nidiffer and Jamie Shell
Publication Date: August 10, 2001

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