God, Emerson, and Scooby Doo

Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, "The work of God will not be made manifest by cowards." If you're like me, the image that comes to mind when I hear the word "coward" is Shaggy from one of the best cartoons ever made, Scooby Doo. Shaggy is always the one running away from what seems to be terrifying or threatening, but when the mystery is solved, the monster always turns out to be far less menacing than what he once believed. Isn't that how a lot of "Christians" are today? Many people are brave enough to mark "Christian" in the religion section of our Facebook profiles, but lifestyles simply don't reflect it. They fear pursuing a relationship with God because they are afraid of what they will have to give up and who they will have to give up. More commonly, they are afraid of what people will think of them if they stand up for what is right or live a lifestyle contradictory to the norm. But Christianity isn't for cowards. Christianity is for the fearless! II Timothy 1:7 says, "For God gave us not a spirit of fear but of power and love and self-control." God has given us power to do his works. If we do what he commands us to do, we will certainly receive our reward. When we understand (or think we understand) the awesomeness of God and the strength of his Holy Spirit, we come to the realization that the only thing that should scare us is separation from God. Nothing on this earth can hold fear over us any longer if we have faith in Him. His word can't be spread to all creation by people that are afraid of what seems dangerous, intimidating, or unpopular. God doesn't call cowards to do his work, he calls the fearless.