On a trip to South Asia, my colleague and I smuggled Bibles into a country that persecuted Christians and never allowed the Bible to be brought in or published. We knew it was God’s desire to give His Word to people in their heart language, so we took a risk and stuffed fifty Bibles into our luggage.
We wrapped clothes around the bundles and strategically placed them in our bags, so they weren’t so obvious. Upon arrival, we prayed for the officials to have blind eyes when it came to the hidden Bibles. As the guards were looking in every piece of luggage ahead of us, we clearly heard the Lord’s voice saying COME. We moved forward, and when our turn came for the luggage inspection, the officials hurriedly waved us pass them and the x-ray machine too.
Even the last guard watched us pass through without being checked. He knew he was the last check point before we moved into the mass crowd of people waiting to pick up their friends, yet he too let us pass right in front of him.
Once we were in the crowd, we found our contact and delivered the Bibles to a group of Christians who had none. They valued the gift greatly, pressing the holy books closely to their chests as if gold were in their hands! Seeing their gratitude when clutching God’s Word touched our hearts deeply. No doubt, it was a risk worth taking.
Want to be a risk taker too? Here’s 3 things to consider:
1. God is a risk taking God.
He took the greatest risk when He created us with a free will, because we have the ability to hurt others, ourselves, and Him.
2. God wants us to take risks.
In Matt. 14, Jesus walks on the water to His terrified disciples and tells them to not be afraid. Still doubting, Peter asks the Lord to beckon him to come if it was really Him. Jesus responds with one word: COME. Jesus is present in the tumultuous waters and not just on the safe shore.
3. When taking risk, sometimes we fail.
Peter heeded the call to come and actually walked on water, but once he took his eyes off Jesus, Peter began to sink. Undaunted, Jesus immediately reached out His hand to save Peter from sinking. This was an intimate moment Peter would have never had with Jesus if he hadn’t been willing to step out onto the water.
I once heard someone say, “If you maximize risk in your life, you maximize growth in your life; if you minimize risk in your life, you minimize growth in your life.”
What is your boat of safety or the comfort zone you are in? Do you believe Jesus may ask you to jump out of the boat and do something risky for Him? Will you say “Yes!” when He does? Do a Discipleship Training School and discover God's heart for you. Once you get to know Jesus, saying "Yes" to Him won't be so alarming.
