Be of Good Cheer

Be of Good Cheer

“The commander…commanded the soldiers to go down and take him by force from among them, and bring him into the barracks. But the following night the Lord stood by him and said, ‘Be of good cheer, Paul; for as you have testified for Me in Jerusalem, so you must also bear witness at Rome.’”Acts 23:10-11 NKJV

On the surface, Paul must have seemed bold and confident. But, in reality, he had the same weaknesses we all share. We see this human side after he was threatened by a mob and taken into the barracks. He must have been concerned, because Jesus Himself appeared to comfort him that night.

Jesus’ first words were that Paul should “be of good cheer.” The Greek word here was spoken by Jesus on many occasions throughout His ministry. It has its root in a Greek word meaning boldness and courage.

Jesus wanted Paul to be confident and bold. Even though he was outnumbered and his life was in peril, Paul could fearlessly face his circumstances and even be cheerful! 

We see the impact of this message the next morning, when Paul was calm and clearheaded, focused and decisive. There was no fear or doubt. He was not uncertain or discouraged. Instead, he was “of good cheer.”

If Paul could experience fear and discouragement at times, we shouldn’t be surprised if we do, too. Yet, like Paul, God can help us be of good courage in every situation. 

Today, no matter what difficult circumstances you face, God can supply your every need. No matter how big the obstacles you face, He is with you to face them. If you feel alone, remember that He is with you. No matter who threatens you, know that “greater is He who is in us than he who is in the world” (1 John 4:4).
Right now, and throughout your life, “be of good cheer”!

Have a cheery day

John

This entry was posted on 28/10/2009 at 12:40 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response or trackback from your own site.