If you haven’t already figured it out, our team is pretty passionate about encouraging women to take risks for Kingdom purposes. Our heart and our efforts are aimed at encouraging women to do things for Jesus. Because of this, it only seemed appropriate that our first devotional be designated to the above.
The objective of this devotional is not to convince you that Jesus is worth risking for. If you have been touched by the grace and love of our Savior, you probably have come to the conclusion on your own that He is most certainly worth it. The problem, however, is that our actions don’t always mirror what our heart and mind know to be true. Therefore, the purpose of this devotional is to encourage you to put your belief into motion by stepping out in courage through faith. If we fail to do so, we are in major danger of missing opportunities to bring God glory.
There are several reasons why we fail to take godly, obedient risks. For you, maybe it is fear of what it will cost you, fear of failure, fear of what other people may think of you or maybe a combination of all three and then some. But regardless of your reason(s), fear of the unknown is probably at the root of the cause. One of the best ways to battle this fear is to fight back with God’s truth.
So, let’s focus on something that we do know, instead of what we don’t know: this world is not our forever home. But because our flesh and who we are in Jesus is in a constant tug of war battle, Satan does his best work to pull the flag on our rope towards the love of this world and its approval. For he knows if he can shift our perspective from eternity to the temporary, we are less likely to focus our efforts towards building up the Kingdom of God.
So, let me ask you – where is your flag? Is it resting over this world or is it resting over your forever home? If you find yourself at the first, a reminder of your purpose and what Christ accomplished on your behalf may just be what the Holy Spirit uses to shift your perspective, thus, repositioning your flag.
“Therefore let us go to him outside the camp and bear the reproach he endured. For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come.”Hebrews 13:13-14
In verse thirteen, we are encouraged to bear the reproach Christ endured, which refers back to Hebrews 12: 1-2:
“looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.”
Everything Jesus did during His time spent on earth, He did with eternity in mind. It was with this perspective that He was able to find joy on the cross, despite the incomparable agony He endured. He understood the cost of temporary pain served a greater purpose, our salvation. How then are we to apply Jesus’ example to our own life?
First, it is important to note that Christ did not take a risk on us. Because He is all-knowing (omniscient), He knew His time on earth would end on the cross, but yet out of His deep and unwavering love for us, He still chose death. Now that is powerful. While we cannot look to Jesus as an example of someone who risks, we can, however, look to Him as the reason and purpose for doing so.
“But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth for the sake of Christ.” Philippians 3:7-8
Jesus is the ultimate gain. Because of this, we risk. We risk the temporary so that our sister/friend/neighbor/coworker/bank teller/Uber driver/waiter may encounter a love like no other – a love that leads to a relationship with Jesus. When we risk the temporary, Jesus is glorified and eternity is impacted. So today, let love be the driving force that pushes you to become a risk-taker.
Before I sign off, I would like to leave you with this wise counsel from one of my favorite Bible teachers:
“Seek risks and uncomfortable things. You do not risk like a fool; you are wisely investing in the only two things that will not die: God and people’s souls.” – Jennie Allen, Made for This
Let’s do some things for Jesus! After all, what do we have to lose?
Blessings,
Casey Rolape