By Chris Surber

There are only two kinds of people in this world — those who dream big and live boldly and those who bury big dreams beneath boulders of excuses.

Which one are you? When God births a dream in your heart, are you quick to think of all of the reasons that it cannot be done or do you consider how it can be accomplished? Do you live boldly or exist coldly?

There is perhaps no better example of a man of courage and boldness in the Bible than Joshua. When God commissioned Joshua to be the leader of Israel, He commanded boldness and courage. “Be strong and courageous, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them.” (Joshua 1:6 ESV)

God has a plan for you and your people as well. God has a plan for your family that requires courage to accomplish. Perhaps God desires for you to be the great grandparent spoken of for generations to come, who changed the course of destiny for all of your progeny.

God’s dreams for men demand courage. That’s how God works. He won’t do what He’s called you to do, and you can’t do what only He can do.

Look at the passage of Scripture above. You can easily break it into two pieces: (1) God’s command to Joshua to live boldly; and (2) the connection between God’s promise to the people and His promise that Joshua be the instrument God would use to fulfill the promise.

There is no distinction between what God does and what men do in His name. God accomplishes His will through His people. That’s how God works. How do you work?

When God speaks to you, planting His will for your life into your spirit in the form of a dream that you long to accomplish, do you act on it? Are you strong and courageous, or are you lazy and easily daunted? God is a big God with big dreams for His people. If you are one of His children, what are you waiting for?

On the one hand, we are only human and will fail and be afraid and will not always accomplish everything we set out to do.

On the other hand, we are the creation of the God of the universe, who loves each of us enough to offer His own life to us through Jesus at the cross and right now in this very moment to empower His dreams for us. We dishonor our Creator when we make excuses in fulfilling the dreams He gives us.

I like the way Benjamin Franklin put it, “A man without courage is a knife without an edge.” A knife with no edge is useless, because it was made to cut. A person without courage is equally useless.

We were made to dream big dreams, to sing a big song, to accomplish big things, to live full lives, no matter how short or long. There is no more important virtue than courage. Without it no bird would sing his song; no lover could write his poem deep and strong; no painter could melt his brush into picture with his stroke steady and strong; no mother would sing her cradlesong, dreaming dreams for her baby in the nightlong.

Dream big and follow through. A dream without courage is little more than knowledge we never knew; a grand drawing you never drew; God has a dream that demands boldness and follow-through for me and for you.

Chris Surber is pastor of Cypress Chapel Christian Church in Suffolk. Visit his website at www.chrissurber.com.