top of page
BRAVER THAN LIONS
Sam Stringer
Nov 8, 2024
And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you
will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ.
Colossians 3:23-24
One of the churches that I pastored had a sanctuary built somewhere around 1910. I always thought to
myself, “The people that met in here might have heard about the sinking of the Titanic, maybe prayed
about those families in this room.” The sanctuary had beautiful stained-glass windows on three sides as
old as the church, and on really sunny days, they lit up with all of their colors and had an antiquated
charm of their own. The church had protective windows installed outside of them to protect them from any
damage because they were so costly and hard to repair. Much like those stained-glass windows, we must
see beyond the people around us and look to the Lord in the energy we give for the jobs and efforts we
make. What we do, we must do in faith, and we must keep in mind that it’s for His glory that we are called
to do everything (1 Cor. 10:31).
Those stained-glass windows in that church don’t always have sunlight coming through them. Despite the
fact that the sun goes down and those windows become darkened, this does not change the reality of the
sun always being there. Yes, our side of the world grows dark for a period of time before the light comes
back, but we know that it’s not because the sun ceases to exist for eight or ten hours a night. From our
perspective, the sun is gone; from our reality, the earth has rotated and the sun is shining on the other
side of the planet. Life is full of ups and downs, good days and bad days, times of happiness and
moments of gloom. Much like the concept of joy, we must remember that despite our circumstances, both
having joy and keeping our eyes on Christ are possible. God is there and His truth stands irrespective of
my thoughts or feelings; He doesn’t need me to believe in Him to still be Who He is.
Today’s verses form a command but also an invitation to us that we come back again to doing what we do
for Christ. Do you serve Jesus? Then remember that. Do you have hope in Christ? Preach it to your
heart. Who rewards the believer in the end? The Lord. Who determines a life well-lived? Not us, but God.
None of us gets to sit on a throne and make judgments about our worthiness or welcomeness into
Heaven. None of us gets to determine that call about anyone else, either; that’s God’s sole right.
If you haven’t, I encourage you today: believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. Place your faith in what He has
done on the cross for your sins, dying the death you should have died to offer you forgiveness and life
forevermore with Him. If you have that relationship, believe on Him yet again. In faith, take action and do
what you do for Him. You might not get the immediate feedback like you would from your peers, but you
can be sure that one day, He will reward and bless you for living by faith attended with the words, “Well
done, thou good and faithful servant.” Be blessed, be brave.
Sam Stringer
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by
permission. All rights reserved.
bottom of page