Do it Anyway
Sound ominous, huh? I've been reading through Luke in my devotions, and something new caught my eye. Don't you love reading the Word and suddenly, a passage you may even have memorized has a newness to it that blows your mind?
Reading the account of Jesus healing the man with the withered hand, (previous God bomb: the guy put out his hand immediately when Jesus told him too, he didn't say "hey I can't!" Note to self: stop telling God I can't) and this time, these words jumped off the page...
"But he knew their thoughts, and said to the man who had the withered hand, "Arise and stand here." And he arose and stood."
He knew. He knew they were waiting, those people who always have a problem with Him, waiting to find an excuse to discredit Him, run Him out of town, even kill Him. And He did it anyway. Fulfilling His calling, bringing glory to God, touching the lives of broken people, it was worth doing no matter the cost. (Note to self: stop telling God I won't.)
In motorcycle safety classes, they talk about something called acceptable risk. The premise is that getting out of bed and starting your day carries risk. Living carries risk. Some things carry more risk than others, and you can do things to raise or lower the risk of the activity. For instance, you can wear a helmet but ride in sneakers, increasing the risk of losing your foot if your bike goes down. Or, you can wear riding boots and lower the risk of losing your foot if your bike goes down. May I just interject, I dress for the wreck, not for the ride.
The point is, following Jesus opens us up to a certain degree of risk. But at the end of the day, are you better for not getting on the motorcycle, if that be God's will for you? I mean, are you better for not serving God, when that be His will for you? We know, the enemy lies in wait. So what. A life paralyzed by fear is not really life, it's death. Be strong in the Lord and the power of His might. Suit up in the armor of God, and do whatever "it" is anyway.
It's worth the risk.
Reading the account of Jesus healing the man with the withered hand, (previous God bomb: the guy put out his hand immediately when Jesus told him too, he didn't say "hey I can't!" Note to self: stop telling God I can't) and this time, these words jumped off the page...
"But he knew their thoughts, and said to the man who had the withered hand, "Arise and stand here." And he arose and stood."
He knew. He knew they were waiting, those people who always have a problem with Him, waiting to find an excuse to discredit Him, run Him out of town, even kill Him. And He did it anyway. Fulfilling His calling, bringing glory to God, touching the lives of broken people, it was worth doing no matter the cost. (Note to self: stop telling God I won't.)
In motorcycle safety classes, they talk about something called acceptable risk. The premise is that getting out of bed and starting your day carries risk. Living carries risk. Some things carry more risk than others, and you can do things to raise or lower the risk of the activity. For instance, you can wear a helmet but ride in sneakers, increasing the risk of losing your foot if your bike goes down. Or, you can wear riding boots and lower the risk of losing your foot if your bike goes down. May I just interject, I dress for the wreck, not for the ride.
The point is, following Jesus opens us up to a certain degree of risk. But at the end of the day, are you better for not getting on the motorcycle, if that be God's will for you? I mean, are you better for not serving God, when that be His will for you? We know, the enemy lies in wait. So what. A life paralyzed by fear is not really life, it's death. Be strong in the Lord and the power of His might. Suit up in the armor of God, and do whatever "it" is anyway.
It's worth the risk.
Comments