To Live is to Risk

The author of the poem below is unknown, but I believe the sentiment is profound. I rediscovered it today as I was cleaning my office. It reminded me that to live is to risk ...

To Risk

To laugh is to risk appearing the fool
To weep is to risk appearing sentimental
To reach out to others is to risk involvement
To expose feelings is to risk exposing your true self
To place your ideas, your dreams before a crowd is to risk their loss
To love is to risk not being loved in return
To live is to risk dying
To hope is to risk despair
To try is to risk failure

But risks must be taken,
because the greatest hazard in life is to do nothing.
The person who risks nothing,
does nothing, has nothing, and is nothing.
They may avoid suffering and sorrow,
but they cannot learn, feel, change, grow, love, live.
Chained by their certitudes, they are a slave,
they forfeited their freedom.
Only the person who risks can be free

Psalms 37:23-24 says, "The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord and He delights in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; for the Lord upholds him with His hand." Perhaps you are standing at the edge of some great risk. Let me encourage you with your decision. A wise man once shared the verses above with me when I had a tough decision to make and I've never forgotten it.

He reminded me that when you risk to follow God, you will never be utterly cast down. You may not understand it all this side of heaven, but you may rest assured that you absolutely cannot fail when you are relying on God. Some of you may have taken a risk and it seems like it didn't quite work out. Be of good cheer! The Lord is upholding you with His hand! To risk nothing is to deny God's loving-kindness and power. To step out boldly in faith validates you as a child of God and makes Him real in your life.

To Live is to risk.

Now stop and quietly think about that.

Photo taken from www.trailsidememories.com

Satan loves for churches to compete against each other ...

But God loves for churches to complete each other. That's the message laid out in a YouTube video clip I just watched by Craig Groeschel, pastor of LifeChurch.tv a dynamic and fast-growing church. You may cut and paste the url address: (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-RpZEe4w4fY&feature=channel) if you have the patience to click over to YouTube and watch it, but it's worth the watch. You can probably also access it easily by typing "Satan loves for churches to compete against each other" in the YouTube search box. You can also subscribe to the LifeChurch.tv channel and search for it there.

The bottom line is that the need to reach people with the transformational message of the Gospel is greater than any one church can accomplish in isolation. Churches need each other desperately to advance the mission more effectively and to show the world the reality of our profession (what comes out of our mouths).

Our church is going through a study called "Your Church Experiencing God Together" by Henry and Mel Blackaby. Last week we learned that God has no orphans. When someone comes to faith in Christ, that person is birthed into a spiritual family, a living body and the kingdom (of God). The local church is a spiritual family, but it is also a part of the worldwide (indeed universal) Kingdom of God!

Friends, if we are true believers in Christ, then we are all brothers and sisters in Christ. Jesus Himself said that a kingdom divided against itself cannot stand. Mark 3:24. God calls us into a love relationship with Himself and with each other; that is the essence of our faith. This week let's focus on how we can move past our divisions and silly competitions. Let's focus on how we can show love and aid to all brothers and sisters in Christ; wherever they may happen to go to church. Jesus said that's how the world will know that the Father sent Him. See John 17:20-26.

This applies even if you feel you've been wronged by a Christian brother or sister. See Matthew 5:23-24. Even then, God's desire is that His children would be reconciled. I know that this is never easy, and it takes patience, courage and prayer. But how can we be a witness to a watching world if we can't along?

Please stop and quietly think about that.

Blessings; Pastor Wayne

The Main Thing

Hey friends: Let's meditate on the Scripture and the vignette below and remember to keep the Main Thing the Main Thing. God bless you.

As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what He said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do all of the work by myself? Tell her to help me!” “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” Luke 10:38-42.

I once had a co-worker whose name was Art. Art was a great guy, but he suffered from what I called the “drifts.” In other words, my friend could never quite get to or stay on the point. Given any task or even a simple question, Art would take the long way around, explaining and clarifying details that, frankly, didn't matter. I would sit and wait for Art to get to the “main thing,” but he could never quite pull it off. Art had earned a Masters in majoring on the minors.

Many of us are like Art. We spend our entire lives working up a sweat over minor things, not necessarily bad things, but not the best things. This also translates to the Christian life. Although we know that the Lord Jesus is the “Main Thing,” our human tendency is to drift. “Prone to wander,” the old hymn says.

We can even allow our ministry for the Lord to get in the way of our time with the Lord. That is never our intention at the start. We just begin to drift one day and pretty soon the Lord is in the other room while we are too busy “ministering” to hear Him!

Are you over-busy friend? Do you find that you're too rushed to spend time alone with the Lord? Are you in the kitchen all by yourself? Only One Thing is really needed – your intimate connection with Him. Everything else flows from that. Why don’t you cease from your busy work and join Him in the other room where He's been waiting for you.

Learning To Love Like Jesus Loves

Hey friends; This week we are embarking on Week Two of our 40 Day love journey. This week we're learning to love how Jesus loves. I admit that's extremely challenging; especially loving the unlovely or the hard to love. In Luke 8:26-39, the Bible tells a story of such a person - someone who was forgotten and written off by society. Jesus looked at this man differently and showed him real love. One encounter with Jesus changed his life forever and will change yours too if you will respond to His love. The poem below is a reflection on those verses. Meditate on it and let it motivate you to love like Jesus loves.


Legion
Luke 8:26-39

I

His name was Legion, a man possessed
By wicked demons from the depths of hell
Wounded and torn by Satan’s cruel plan
Bowing down to the Son of Man
“Legion,” he cried, “For we are many
Would any man dare to befriend me?”

“Would any man look beyond my pain,
My grief and torment, my utter shame?
Would any man hold back his blame?
Does anyone even know my name?”
“Legion,” he cried, “I am entombed
In sin and suffering, forever doomed.”

“Surely no man can cleanse my wounds
Come quickly death, relieve me soon
Relieve my sin-sick soul from strife
Relieve the burdens of this life.”
“Legion,” he cried, “This is my fate
“Son of God, you have come too late.”

“Too late to set this captive free
Too late to save a wretch like me
Too late to heal that I might see
Too late to give me liberty.”
“Legion,” he cried, “Do you not see
No one could love a thing like me.”

II

His name is Jesus, the God-man sent
From the Father and among us He dwelt
The Word made flesh, love incarnate
Touched by our hurts, His heart was rent
“Come out!” He cried, “Though you are many
No foul demon can withstand me.”

“My love is greater than any infirmity
Be healed my son, you are now set free!
Go tell the world, preach your deliverance freely
And in all you do, glorify the One who sent me.”
“A new name!” He cried, “You have been given
The angels now rejoice in heaven.”

“For one lost sheep has now come home
At peace at last, forgiven, made whole
Torn no more, no more to roam
The Son of Man has healed your soul.”
“My son!” He cried, “Your salvation has come
Abide in me and let my love run

From the top of your head down to your feet
Come and taste fellowship so sweet
For he who was lost is now found
The captive is no longer bound.”
“I love you!” He cried, to the broken and bruised
And He is still crying out, “Child, I love you too.”


Now stop and quietly think about that.



Copyright 2003 by A. W. Gill
All Rights Reserved

Photo: Copyright Yass,
www.trekearth.com