So we all agreed to choose some men and send them to you with our dear friends Barnabas and Paul– men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. - Acts 15:25-26 (NIV)
We can do some dangerous things to reach for our goals or attain "life prizes." Adrenaline junkies fling themselves off cliffs, ascend dangerous heights, and often risk their life to "feel alive".
What about those men who risk their families and careers over small indiscretions? Maybe an adulterous affair or little lies we tell to cheat others so we can gain more wealth?
Extreme examples? Perhaps. But none compare to the man who lives at such a high level of risk, that he has become immune to it's devastating consequences - The man who ignores the life giving grace of God.
He lives each day facing the possibility of losing his life and his soul. Willing to exchange a relationship with the creator of the universe for a temporary rush of comfort among people or self-absorption.
We need a dose of adrenaline to course through our veins when we stray from God. Our senses should be sharp, our heartbeat should race, and our eyes should be wide and searching for the onslaught of evil.
God calls us to live for Him, not ourselves. We are renewed in order to live against the grain of the flesh, to do the hard things that oppose the comfort of living for ourselves and not Him. Living for God is risky... evil doesn't want you to prevail.
Want a thrill? Want a challenge? Want a little danger? Follow God with tenacity and passion - and navigate the obstacle course that evil will throw before you. It's a thrill ride like no other! Depend on God - Risk your life for Him - everyday.
THE RIGHT NEXT STEP:
- What is the most dangerous thing you've done to date?
- What part of your faith life has the most risk?
PRAY: Almighty Father, I want to be a man who risks it all for You today. My life is empty and meaningless without You as my guide, my focus, my goal. Give me strength and wide eyes to see the obstacles set before me. I want to conquer this life with Your help. Amen.