Hello Friends,
Welcome to the Live Boldly Blogspot! Meet us in this space for encouragement and synopses of Pastor Russ’s messages as we seek to walk together toward the mission to which he has called us.
Live Boldly by Faith
What does it mean to Live Boldly? I was pondering this as I was thinking about Pastor Russ’s message, challenging us to embrace the mission of our fellowship at Northstar. As odd as it may sound, a little squirrel helped cement it in my mind! I was on our back deck, which is almost as high as the treetops in the wooded area that is our backyard. My eye caught a glimpse of a squirrel in the top branches of a tree, as he scampered across a bare limb to a branch of the tree next to it. My immediate thought was, “What if he falls?” It looked so dangerous! But then I realized, that little squirrel was only doing what came naturally to him, what he was born to do. He had “faith,” so to speak, that he could make it across, and that the limb would hold him.
Those of us who are in Christ have been given a new nature, a nature that should want, desire, and do different things than our old natures. Our natural instinct should be to Live Boldly, to take chances, to attempt things for the Kingdom that seem out of reach. What would it look like if we were to attempt great and “dangerous” things for His glory, things we could never accomplish on our own?
Hebrews 11 is a reminder of some of the people God used throughout scripture to accomplish His purposes, to partner with him in His work on the earth. The writer reminds us that it was “by faith” that each person participated in His miracles. They lived boldly, and they believed, by faith, that He could do what He said he would do.
To Live Boldly is to live by faith, to believe that God is at work in and through us, and to move in whatever direction He leads. So, will we? Will we go “out on a limb,” with the sure knowledge that He can hold us? Are we willing to move, by faith, and partner with Him and each other to fulfill His purposes?
I pray our answer will be, “Yes, Lord” as we seek to do His will.
Written by: Michelle Dowdy