[Caleb said,] “We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it.” Numbers 13:30

Not a moment’s hesitation for Caleb! The land of Canaan lay ahead, and no gloomy scouting reports would hold him back! The children of Israel were afraid. Only Caleb and Joshua had sufficient daring to want to go ahead and occupy the land.

I am strangely attracted by the quality of daring. Yet my life seems too ordinary and commonplace to provide opportunities like Caleb’s. Heroism seems out of place in a placid daily routine.

Are there no things for me to dare? No ventures lying ahead this week? No land of Canaan to conquer? Perhaps I overlook the fields I need to occupy, the challenges of the average life.

There is the venture of prayer, which calls for boldness in coming to the throne of grace. I dare to confess my sins to You today and expect them to be conquered by Your forgiveness in Christ! Will I dare to use Your Spirit to crush the faults that plague me? Will I be bold today to be Your person in all I do and say? Will I offer myself in love to those in need, stand up for the oppressed, resist the pressures of gossip and “group thinking?” Will I dare to accept the challenge of witness, the adventure of work in my church?

It is the average dares I need to recognize, and I seek the everyday boldness to meet them.

PRAYER: O Lord, clothe me with Your armor, and pour out Your Spirit on me to make my life a bold venture in Christ; in Him I pray. Amen.

(Devotions from “The Abundant Life” copyright 1998, CPH. All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be printed, reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior written permission of Concordia Publishing House. Permission is granted for one-time e-mailing of this link to a friend. For information on other devotional material, please contact CPH at 800-325-3040 or visit CPH at www.cph.org.)

Today's Bible Readings: Psalms 61-62, 65    John 13:21-38

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