Jesus tells us in Matthew 10 not to fear the one who can kill the body but cannot kill the soul -- In Jesus, we are joined in his resurrection, although there is a great leap of faith necessary to get over that fear of death!
There is fear everywhere these days. Many news networks major in fear. Fear is available to all, spread freely. No matter where you turn, there is likely a reason to fear. I saw a notice yesterday that said there are hand sanitizers that are compromised and should be avoided -- even the stuff that's supposed to keep us safe can be a reason to fear! Sometimes you just can't win...
While there are plenty of fearful things in the world, fear is a choice. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego had reason to fear -- they were about to be thrown into a fiery furnace for worshiping God. It's a fearful situation, but they were not afraid. They were confident in God's power, and they lived with integrity. Trusting God in the face of fearful circumstances gave them the ability to remain faithful.
We, too, can choose to trust in the face of fear. We don't have to ignore fear, but we don't have to give in to it -- as a people who trust in the eternal kingdom of God and believe we are joined in God's victory over sin and death through grace, we can face our challenges with the full knowledge that the light of eternity awaits, and the challenges in this world are but passing shadows that will fade when compared to the light and love of God.
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