I was reading a blog from Bob Practico today entitled He's Not Safe, But He is Good. Bob's summarizes his basic idea when he writes, I’m convinced the prevailing view of Jesus as primarily a “safe” friend is due largely to the false contemporary perspective of sin. I believe Bob is quite right when it comes to those who are not Christ followers, but there is also a great misunderstanding by Christ followers who believe that God is a "safe" God. The "health and wealth," "name it claim it" believers fuel the fires of this misunderstanding, yet its roots go deep into mainline theological thinking. I have heard it said basically that when we come to Christ everything gets better - better marriage, better kids, better jobs, better lives. I have heard and looked for the "open door god." You know the thought here - don't move until God opens up a door. Presumably this open door will be free of dangers and difficulties and will present a way of relative ease, and if the door doesn't open then God isn't in it.
Is this true? Is this the God of the Bible? Come on! I don't think so.
Read Hebrews 10 and 11 - followers of Christ lost everything, even their lives. Consider the life of Paul - it was filled with danger and uncertainty rather than open doors and safety. The same is true for all of the God followers, and Christ followers of Scripture - Gideon and his mighty men of 300 verses an army that numbered like the sands of the sea - Jonathan and his armor bearer verses an entire army - Daniel and the lions - Shadrach Meshach and Abednego... and on and on we could go. Every single one of them faced great danger and uncertainty even as they walked closely with God. The danger was of death and great pain. The uncertainty was that they had no idea what their future in this world held.
I think that the biblical picture presented over and over again is that of a God who is anything but safe! In fact, I think that the safest place to be in this world is ANYWHERE BUT THE CENTER OF GOD'S WILL. Christ followers - lose the myth - the unbiblical idea that Christianity and God is safe! It isn't! Life is filled with risks and with uncertainty. Perhaps a door will open, perhaps not. When it doesn't then we knock and keep knocking, we seek and keep seeking. Life is filled with danger and even with failure. God does not guarantee success according to the world's standard - neither does he promise temporal safety. READ THE WORD - its clear! A life of faith is a life of risks, and without faith its is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6).
What risk is He calling you to take?
Maybe its time you got up and took a chance.
