All were moved by the powerful words and testimony of this great man
A picture of a large army came to him before he spoke to the big crowd
He then said that people in God’s army should be fearless, never cowed
Francis highlighted the story of Gideon in Judges chapters six and seven
Gideon's army of thirty two thousand was too large, said God in heaven
Asking those who “trembled with fear" to leave led to the first reduction
In Numbers, only two were fearless, surviving by obeying God’s instruction
Francis pointed out that with affluence, the church often struggles to thrive
This is probably because riches and comfort tend to our courage deprive
In Matthew twenty four, Jesus voiced a warning about love growing cold
Reminding believers that no matter the environment, we must stay bold
Per Hebrews twelve verse twelve, Jesus suffered outside the city gate
We should also not fear being unpopular and rejected, Francis did state
Jesus went through temptations, challenges, and a very unjust process
We should follow Him rather than crowds, and in doing so be fearless
For going with the flow and the popular way does not give us true life
In fact we must lose our life in order to find it amidst this earthly strife
Regarding the challenges of affluence, Francis turned to First Timothy six
Paul said not to put hope in wealth, but that to God our eyes should fix
Living for God leads to good works as well as a generous spirit and heart
Remembering that it is more blessed to give than to receive is a good start
Similarly, Christian thinking should be focused not on one’s self but on others
We should treat everyone as well as we treat our own sisters and brothers
Paul said that power comes from prayer, per Ephesians chapter three
For motivation comes not from external factors but from the Spirit Holy
If our thoughts, words, and actions are rooted and grounded in love
We will be walking in accordance with the desires of our Lord above
In summary, Francis asked the congregation what we want to be known for
Go beyond being great leaders, parents, and businessmen, he did implore
For it is far better to be filled with the fullness of God and follow His way
Even if that means challenging the popular political correctness every day
No comments:
Post a Comment