God's Glory Church

“For God did not give us the spirit of fear, but strength, and love, and a sound mind.” — 2 Timothy 1:7

No one has ever said before death: “I’m so glad I lived a selfish life,” Parker Palmer said in his speech to the graduates and urged them to “offer to the world . . . your pure-hearted generosity.”

He went on to say that living like this means realizing “how little you know and how easy it is to fail.” To serve the world, you need to develop a “beginner’s mind,” that is, “understand your ignorance and risk failure, again and again, and then get up and learn, again and again.”

Only by building our lives on the foundations of grace are we able to choose a life of fearless “pure-hearted generosity.” As the apostle Paul explained to Timothy, his colleague in God’s field, we are able to “warm up” (2 Tim. 1:6) and use God’s gift only if we remember that God’s grace saves us and that it calls us to a meaningful life (v. 9). It is God who helps us to face our fears and lead a life of “strength, and love, and a sound mind” (v. 7). It is God’s grace that lifts us up if we fall and helps us continue the journey of rooting our lives in His love (vv. 13-14).

Do you tend to give in to fears? How does God’s grace and power help you live more courageously for Him?

God, thank you that we don’t have to live in fear, fearing offense or failure. Help me to rely on the courage that You give through Your Spirit.

Author: Monica La Rose