If You Want Courage Have This First

2 Corinthians 3:12
Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold.

Amplified Bible
Since we have such a [glorious] hope and confident expectation, we speak with great courage,

Contemporary English Version
This wonderful hope makes us feel like speaking freely.

A courageous person will take risks. Those who take risks are most likely to succeed. A courageous person will try many things. Those who try many things will eventually try that which will give the greatest success and pleasure. Without the courage to take risks and try many things, we should forget about ever achieving anything worthwhile in life. Our greatest need is a need for people with courage.

Without courage, we can’t even do the right thing. Courage powers the right actions. Courage defies odds and takes on the goal and many times leads to success. Courage is an essential ingredient of defense. Without courage, you will easily accept oppression and will condone aggression.

Without courage, you will know the right thing but you won’t do it. Without courage, you will know you are being treated unfairly but you will continue suffering. Without courage, one person or a group of people can exploit the masses for many years. Without courage, there would never be martyrs and independence heroes. Without courage, there will never be innovations and discoveries.

Courage defies societal norms that seek to control the individual. Societal standards are good but limiting. Societal limits will never be surpassed without courage. It takes courage to be different and be okay with it. Courage gives the minorities a chance. Courage is the stuff that all our heroes and heroines are basically made of. Without courage, you amount to nothing.

In the chapter of consideration today, Apostle Paul tells the Corinthian church that Moses had a covenant that was glittering and needed a veil, 2 Corinthians 3:7-8. That covenant didn’t last very long yet it had its own powers. Then the Apostle Paul wonders rhetorically that if that temporary covenant was that powerful what of the eternal covenant (2 Corinthians 3:11) we have in Jesus Christ? If there was some hope in the temporary covenant of Moses, how much more hope do we have in the covenant that Jesus brought? Therefore, our text today tells us that in Jesus we have a much stronger and greater hope and it gives us courage.

The source of courage that Paul and other believers have is the hope they have in Jesus. They are so certain about what God has promised that they can boldly face the world. With that kind of hope, you can’t help but be courageous. Hope gives birth to courage. If you want courage have hope first.

If you have hope, you will go for it. Hope leads us to courage. If you have hope that you will succeed, you will keep trying. If you have hope that you can surmount your relationship challenges, you will keep trying. Hope gives birth to courage. Without hope, courage will never be born. If you see a courageous man or woman, they have hope!

We have the courage to live right because we have hope that judgment will exonerate us. We have the courage to face suffering for our faith because we have hope that God will change our tears into joy very soon. We have the courage to bear suffering in principled living because we have hope that God will make things right in our favor. Hope gives us courage!

Do you need the courage to do something or achieve something? Ask yourself if you have any hope of a good outcome. Without hope, courage will never emerge. If we need courage, we must first seek hope. Dear God, grant us hope that will yield into courageous living, in Jesus’ name, Amen!

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