Draw Near – 365 Guides to Greater Intimacy with GodSample

LEGEND OF FEAR

An ancient legend of India tells of the "spirit of plague" passing an old man sitting under a tree. The man asked the spirit, "Where are you going?" The spirit answered, "To Benares to kill one hundred people." Later the man heard that ten thousand had died in that city. When the "spirit of plague" came by again, the man said to him, "You lied! You said you would only kill one hundred people." "I killed but one hundred," replied the spirit. "Fear killed the rest."

Paul says much about fear. He told Timothy: For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7). And he reminded the Philippians not to be terrified of their adversaries (1:28). Although the enemies of Christ might make believers uncomfortable physically, they cannot destroy the eternal soul. Believers need not panic in the face of pain or threat.

Ever practical, Paul specified things the Philippian believers were to do. First, their behavior was to be becoming to the Gospel. Then, they were to stand together in the faith as one body and strive for the Gospel. This is excellent advice in our strife-filled world. May we bring glory to the Gospel, stand together in love, and constantly seek to be better Christians.