Committed, Courageous, Compassionate and Catching men and women for Christ. Psalm 46

 Psalm 46

“Greatness is not intelligence. Greatness comes from character. And character isn’t formed out of smart people, it’s formed out of people who suffered.”

JENSEN HUANG

1.Courage/Comfort/ Conviction- Psalm 46.

God is over all.  He is in Charge.  He has given to His people, His law, His Word and His Church.  He is mystery and love at the same time.  We cannot define God in our own terms.  He is Omnipresent, and Omniscient.  Would we want it any other way?  Some try to though, and they do not allow God to be who He is, by exalting the freedom of man.  

He allows us to suffer to mature us into His chosen people.  Discipline as it says in the Letter to the Hebrews is because we are His children.  Who would have a child and let them do something that we know is hurtful?

Who would have a cat or a dog and let them roam into the road?  God is our Refuge, our Strength and a  present (sufficient) help to us.  Therefore we will not fear as it says in Psalm 46.  Hebrews 12 talks about chastening  and how He treats us as sons and daughters.  vs 6 " For whom the LORD loves He chastens.." ( also Psalm 94:12)

God as Ruler, Refuge and Strength gives us comfort as we follow His laws and His ways despite what the world says to do...even those in high offices.

"When the Titanic sank, it carried millionaire John Jacob Astor IV. The money in his bank account was enough to build 30 Titanics. However, faced with mortal danger, he chose what he deemed morally right and gave up his spot in a lifeboat to save two frightened children.

Millionaire Isidor Straus, co-owner of the largest American chain of department stores, "Macy's," who was also on the Titanic, said:

"I will never enter a lifeboat before other men."

His wife, Ida Straus, also refused to board the lifeboat, giving her spot to her newly appointed maid, Ellen Bird. She decided to spend her last moments of life with her husband.

These wealthy individuals preferred to part with their wealth, and even their lives, rather than compromise their moral principles. Their choice in favor of moral values highlighted the brilliance of human civilization and human nature."

credit: Paulyn Pickle

2.  Compassion vs retribution. I Peter 3:8-15a

"BE ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous: not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing. For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile: let him eschew evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and ensue it." 

Charles Spurgeon said it this way, " The past is now in your Saviour's Hand, and you shall never be condemned for it, whatever it may have been, for the LORD has cast your iniquities into the midst of the sea."

AW Tozer " We cannot pray in love, and live in hate, and still think we are worshipping God."

"Though I have never seen the Sequoia  (redwoods)trees of California, known as Redwoods, I am told they are spectacular. Towering as much as 300 feet above the ground. Strangely, these towering trees have unusually shallow root systems that spider out just under the surface of the ground to catch as much of the surface moisture they can. And this is their vulnerability. Storms with heavy winds would almost always bring these giants crashing to the ground but this rarely happens because they grow in clusters and their intertwining roots provide support for one another against the storms.

When we are together, either as a family or a church, we provide this same support. Pain and suffering come to all of us. But, just like those giant Sequoia trees, we can be supported in those difficult times by the touch of one another's lives. The knowledge that we have someone; that we are not alone; that there is someone who is willing to touch us, hold us, keeps us from being destroyed."  sermons.com

3.  Lastly Luke 5:1-11 Simon Peter is called by Jesus to catch men.  He is thinking about the fish.  He realizes that he is a sinner when He sees the remarkable acts of Christ .

" Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men."  vs 10

Catching for life is the greek here.  It is continuous.  He does not need to fear.  

That is reason we are called to be courageous in our Christian lives not knowing fear.  God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.  Therefore we will not fear.  Ps 46.

We are compassionate to those who are caught in the web of sin .  

We are courageous and are under conviction so our actions are just and reflect the righteousness of Christ.