Courage

Introduction: The Courage to Begin

When Gandalf first visited Bilbo Baggins in The Hobbit, Bilbo wanted nothing to do with adventure. He loved his comfortable hobbit-hole — his tea, his chair, and his quiet little life in the Shire. But Gandalf saw something in Bilbo that Bilbo didn’t see in himself. He told him, “I am looking for someone to share in an adventure.”

And Bilbo replied, “Good morning — but we don’t want any adventures here, thank you! You might try over The Hill or across The Water.”

Yet, as the story unfolds, Bilbo steps out his front door, and everything changes. He leaves comfort behind and discovers that courage was in him all along, courage he never knew he had until he took the first step.

Courage always begins that way.

It’s not about fearlessness; it’s about faithfulness.

It’s about stepping forward even when you’re trembling.

It takes courage to live faithfully.

Courage to love when love costs you.

Courage to forgive when it hurts.

Courage to trust when you don’t understand.

Courage to grow when it would be easier to stay the same.

And that’s the kind of courage God calls each of us to; an everyday courage that chooses obedience over comfort, faith over fear, and purpose over passivity. It’s the courage Gideon needed when God called him from hiding in a winepress to leading Israel against overwhelming odds.

Let’s begin by reading about Gideon’s call and then turn to Paul’s closing words in 2 Corinthians 13:11.

Judges 6:11-16 (CSB)

The angel of the Lord came, and he sat under the oak that was in Ophrah, which

belonged to Joash the Abiezrite. His son Gideon was threshing wheat in the wine vat

in order to hide it from the Midianites. Then the angel of the Lord appeared to him and

said, ‘The Lord is with you, valiant warrior.’ Gideon said to him, ‘Please, my lord, if the

Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? And where are all his wonders that

our ancestors told us about? Didn’t they say, “The Lord brought us out of Egypt”? But

now the Lord has abandoned us and handed us over to Midian.’ The Lord turned to

him and said, ‘Go in the strength you have and deliver Israel from the grasp of Midian.

I am sending you!’ He said to him, ‘Please, Lord, how can I deliver Israel? Look, my

family is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the youngest in my father’s family.’ ‘But I

will be with you,’ the Lord said to him. ‘You will strike Midian down as if it were one

man.

2 Corinthians 13:11 (CSB)

Finally, brothers and sisters, rejoice. Become mature, be encouraged, be of the same mind, be at peace, and the God of love and peace will be with you.

Courage.

Background: Paul’s Final Words to Corinth

Paul had poured himself out for the Corinthians. He had corrected them, confronted them, and comforted them. And now, as he finishes this letter, he gives a rapid-fire series of five commands: short, simple, but powerful.

These are not casual words. They are summonses. They’re calls to courage.

He says:

1. Rejoice.

2. Become mature.

3. Be encouraged.

4. Be of the same mind.

5. Be at peace.

And then he adds the promise:

“And the God of love and peace will be with you.”

Every one of those commands takes courage to obey.

1. It Takes Courage to Rejoice

Paul begins, “Rejoice.”

It seems strange to tell people who are hurting, confused, and divided to rejoice.

But Paul’s joy isn’t based on circumstance; it’s rooted in Christ.

He’s saying: don’t let the storm inside you or around you steal the song that God put within you.

It takes courage to rejoice when your heart is heavy.

It takes courage to praise when the answers haven’t come.

Joy is not pretending; it’s trusting.

In Judges 7, Gideon faced an impossible battle. He started with 32,000 men, but God reduced his army to just 300. Yet before the battle began, Gideon worshiped. Scripture says that when he heard the dream about the enemy’s defeat, “he bowed in worship before the Lord.” (Judg. 7:15)

That was an act of courage — to rejoice before the victory, to praise before he saw results.

Courageous joy says, “God, I trust You even here.”

2. It Takes Courage to Grow

Next Paul says, “Become mature.”

The Greek word katartizesthe means “to be restored, to be made complete, to mend.”

It’s the word used for repairing torn fishing nets — bringing what’s broken back into usefulness.

Growth requires honesty.

You can’t grow if you won’t face what’s wrong.

You can’t mature if you hide from the mending hand of God.

It takes courage to look in the mirror of God’s Word and say, “Lord, I need You to change me.”