For my STORYCHURCH family, here are a couple of bonus thoughts on yesterday's message and Joshua 7:
- Both courage and fear are HIGHLY CONTAGIOUS. Be careful which one you are projecting.
- Achan's sin (cowardice really) affected thousands and thousands, but it affected those closest to him the most - his family. THEY PAID THE PRICE for his lack of courage.
- Contrast Achan with the unspoken hero of Joshua 6 - Rahab the prostitute. Her courage to hide the spies was the primary reason for Israel's success. And her family was saved as a result. THEY REAPED THE BENEFIT of her courage (6:17).
- Speaking of Rahab - that one act of courage resulted in her rescue, her family's rescue, and an eventual place in the lineage of King David - and oh yeah, some guy named JESUS.
And a couple more thoughts:
- Not everyone will be excited about your courage. Some might oppose you, and some might even try and make you fail - even those you thought were on your side (see Achan). When you start to follow Jesus into courageous things, it makes THEM feel uneasy - and THEY don't like that. So THEY will do whatever it takes to get YOU to stop dreaming and start fitting in with everyone else again.
- Don't be surprised when the ones that support you and believe in you are the ones you'd least expect - like Rahab the prostitute (and the enemy of Israel).
And one more thing:
- Don't ever be the Achan to someone trying to be Joshua. Honor, encourage, support, cheer on, rally behind, celebrate, lift up, and fight with the people you know that attempt great and courageous things for God. There will be enough people opposing them - THAT ROLE IS ALREADY FILLED.
