THE COURAGE TO KEEP THE FAITH

It's been 15 years since the story of William Wallace was brought to life by Mel Gibson in "Braveheart."  Wallace, who lived from 1272 to 1305, was a Scottish knight and landowner who led the Scottish resistance against the English.  If you've seen the movie or have read the story, you know that Wallace was a man of great faith and great courage.
Long before William Wallace, the fledgling nation of Israel was led by a man of great faith and great courage - his name was Joshua.  Joshua was the successor to Moses, and was given the daunting task of leading his people into the Promised Land, a land occupied by nations far better equipped and trained in the art of battle than was Israel, who had just spent the last 40 years wandering in the desert after their escape from Egypt.  God himself gave Joshua his marching orders with these words: "Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their forefathers to give them.  Be strong and very courageous." (Joshua 1:6-7) 

So what does courage look like, the courage fueled by faith in God? The most common command in the Bible given us by God is this - don't be afraid.  But how do we do that?  How do we get past our fears and become people of courage?  The Old Testament Book of Joshua is filled with stories of courage, with examples of what it means to have a "brave heart."  From these stories we who live in scary times hope to learn how to live courageously ourselves.   Join us this spring at Cornerstone as we learn from the Bible's very own "Braveheart" Joshua how to have the courage to keep the faith.