Would your friends, family members, or peers describe you as bold? Would you say you live a life marked by boldness in your personal life, your spiritual walk, and professionally? Questions like these challenge me toward reflecting where I am and the person I am becoming.
Many of us probably would say we are bold sometimes, and that we would like to be bolder.
What holds you back? For me it is fear: fear of failure, rejection, or embarrassment. And when I zoom out, I realize these fears are selfish in nature, and worse, they reflect a lack of reliance on God’s faithfulness.
And God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth. (Genesis 9:1)
This blessing is a fresh after the flood and echos the same mandate God gave to Adam in Genesis 1:28. What stands out to me is God’s plans for us are always good (and often bold). He doesn’t command us to do things unless he is going to equip us to do those things. Who is bolder than our God? If he tells us to do something, we can surely be bold in trusting him.
Noah and his family were alive because they boldly obeyed God’s command through the building of the ark in the face of uncertainty an dridicule. Now, in their new reality, they were to move onto the next phase of bold faith to multiply and trust Him with whatever comes next.
Today’s questions:
- How does God’s steadfast love steady my fears in this chapter?
- What step of faith can I take?
As I read Genesis 9, I walk away with a deeper understanding of the magnitude of God’s plans for our lives. Too often I think too small, too short-term, and too fearfully, but that is not honoring to God. He loves us so much that he sent his only son to live and die for us so that we can be with Him for eternity. That is the God we can trust with bold obedience.
My “step of faith” is a renewed commitment to consider “boldness” (in Christ) through every situation this year. When sharing my faith, when it comes to small and big decisions, when I sense the Holy Spirit’s nudge to go forward, and when I think my way is better than God’s way.
Being bold isn’t always logical, and it isn’t even about sheer willpower because willpower eventually runs out. Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, was the boldest of all, following the will of the Father as he lived, died, and was resurrected. May we approach every opportunity in the coming year with such selflessness that those around us see the hope we have in Him.