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This coming Monday is a national holiday, honoring the birthday of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Dr. King was a man who risked it all—to honor God and to serve others.

He had risky faith…

He believed that good would overcome and that God would have the final say.

Dr. King inspires me to have bold faith, clear vision, and a willingness to sacrifice self for the cause of others.

“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy. The true neighbor WILL RISK his position, his prestige and even his life for the welfare of others. In dangerous valleys and hazardous pathways, he will lift some bruised and beaten brother to a higher and more noble life.” —Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

We are generally only interested in risk when it has some sort of personal payoff.

People will make risky investments with the goal of making ginormous returns on their money.

Some will make a risky move hoping for a better life for themselves and their family.

Of course, there are those rare occasions where someone does something risky to help or save someone else…

But most of the time, we carefully calculate the risks in light of personal gain.

Businesses have “Risk Management” departments.

Reality TV shows have lawyers telling them what they can and cannot do (in order to prevent lawsuits).

I’m just gonna come out and say it: serving God is risky business…

And perhaps we’ve made it too safe.

I wonder, are we willing to take risks—not just for ourselves, but FOR GOD?

Do we live in fear—calculating all the bad things that could possibly happen if we stick our necks out too far for God? Do we hold back?

Are we waiting for the perfect scenario… you know, the one that has zero risk involved?

In the Old Testament, Daniel took a risk for God.

He wanted to honor God, but his handlers had something different in mind.

Daniel asked for an exemption from the royal menu. He wanted to honor the Jewish dietary laws given by God.

The supervisor said no.

Daniel asked again—only this time he went to someone else…

And he offered a reasonable plan: a trial-run with an evaluation.

This time, Daniel got the green light!

He was given permission to honor his God because he was willing to risk something.

Daniel stuck his neck out.

He risked rejection.

He risked being told no.

He risked being penalized.

He risked having his reputation tarnished.

He risked being misunderstood.

He risked failure.

Daniel took a big risk, not for himself, but for God.

Yes—serving God is risky business.

I believe we need ask ourselves, “Am I playing it too safe? Am I content with Jesus as long as he doesn’t cost me anything? Am I willing to risk for Him?”

In the case of Daniel, he was actually risking his life.

We often hold back because we’re afraid of being laughed at or not being liked.

We hold back because of FEAR…

And we need to stop that.

Holding back because of fear does not honor God. Faith and risk go hand-in-hand.

“Listen to the Lord who created you… the one who formed you says, ‘DO NOT BE AFRAID, for I have ransomed you. I have called you by name; you are mine. When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fires of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you. For I am the Lord, your God… your Savior.’” (Isaiah 43.1-3 NLT)

Did you notice the “when you…” statements in these verses?

When you go through deep waters, when you go through rivers of difficulty, when you go through the fires of oppression…

Serving God is risky business—and it’s totally worth it!

He’s our creator, the one who ransoms us, is with us, and rescues us—our Savior.

We have no reason to fear. We should not hold back any longer.

We don’t need a “perfect scenario” to honor our God.

It’s time for some risky business!

The advice, help, and message I give produces NOTHING positive when I believe “you’re stupid and I’m better than you.”

When Daniel was captured and brought to Babylon, this new culture was extremely different from his own.

Their views on politics, morality, and religion were not congruous with his own.

They were at odds.

This environment could have easily stressed Daniel out, causing him to wonder “How terrible will things become here? What will they do to me? How might this place and these people ruin my life?”

Yet Daniel wasn’t stressed.

He was armed with faith. He was confident that God was with him, working everything out for the good.

Daniel also had a genuine concern for others.

He was others-focused.

Rather than being self-obsessed, worried about all the bad things that could happen to him, Daniel was genuinely empathetic and compassionate toward others… including those he disagreed with.

Daniel knew EVERYONE deserves respect, even godless “enemies.”

Daniel showed respect to the Babylonian overseer who controlled his food options. Rather than having a bad attitude about what was provided, Daniel respectfully appealed to him.

When Nebuchadnezzar had a dream and Daniel interpreted it—the news was bad for the king…

And Daniel says, “Your Majesty, I wish that the dream and its explanation applied to your enemies and not to you.”

Here’s the point: no one listens to someone who doesn’t respect them.

The advice, help, and message we give produces NOTHING positive when we believe “you’re stupid and I’m better than you.” People will not listen to us when we think we are morally superior.

Daniel was able to thrive in Babylon as a fearless foreigner—in part, because he treated others with respect.

He wasn’t self-obsessed, worried, or fearful. He had a genuine concern for others. He was others-focused.

He helped Nebuchadnezzar to succeed.

Daniel constantly reflected the goodness of God to a godless culture.

He was a light, shining in the darkness.

He made a difference, not by despising others, but by genuinely caring about their well-being.

Daniel didn’t walk around with an “I’m better than you and you’re stupid” attitude.

He was others-focused…

And as a result, his advice, help, and message PRODUCED.

Despair, fear, and panic are not part of God’s plan for your life.

The Bible says, “God did not us a spirit of fear. He gave us a spirit of power and of love and of a good mind.” (2 Timothy 1.7 NLV)

Of course there are times to be concerned, anxious, and even discouraged—but we should not live there.

In the Old Testament, Daniel had every reason to be scared and freak out…

He was taken from his family. He was put in a strange new place.

Daniel faced the possibility of severe punishment on a daily basis.

It would be completely understandable if Daniel had frequent panic attacks—but he didn’t.

He trusted God.

He had faith.

He knew that his God would have the final say…

That everything would work out in the end.

Have you ever watched an important football game—a difficult match-up where both teams are good? You’re rooting for your team and it’s not looking good. In the end, your team is victorious… but during the game, you are shouting, sweating, and your heart is racing. Your emotions rise and fall as the game goes good or bad for your team. You get all worked up over the game.

Then, a year or two later you watch that same game again. This time, you’re able to joke and laugh about the bad plays or bad calls. You’re not yelling or shouting. You’re not frustrated or stressed-out.

Why? Because you already know the outcome—you know how it ends.

Daniel didn’t have panic attacks or struggle with fear because of his faith in God.

He knew, “God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.” (Romans 8.28 NLT).

Daniel already knew the outcome: God would work it out… and it would be good.

Faith by its very nature is positive—it is confident that good will overcome.

It is impossible to be a faith-filled, negative, fearful person.

Faith pushes out fear.

It attacks panic.

It gives no room for despair.

When things are uncertain, difficult, or downright scary…

Remember: “God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.” (Romans 8.28 NLT).

Have faith—know that God will have the final say and that everything will work out in the end.

Is our world full of problems?

Yes.

Is our culture dark—does it celebrate sin while at the same time rejecting purity?

Often.

Are we living in a post-Christian America?

Probably.

Are there a plethora of reasons to be… Read More

Let’s be honest…

Fear sucks. It sucks away our confidence, peace, joy, strength, and courage.

Fear paralyzes. It makes us freeze-up. It halts progress. It stops us in our tracks.

Fear sells. It manipulates. It gets us to buy into something we don’t really want or need.

Fear limits. It holds us back. It keeps us from our potential.

Fear lies. It deceives. It distorts. It exaggerates.

We all deal with fear.

I believe God wants us to fear less.

Fear adds nothing good to our lives—it only takes away.

God wants us to have strength for today and courage for tomorrow.

This is why we can boldly say…

“God is there, ready to help; I’m FEARLESS no matter what. Who or what can get to me?” (Hebrews 13.6 MSG)

I thought I’d wrap up the year with some of the best posts from 2011…

TOO SEXY FOR MY SHIRT? (December 7, 2011)

Remember that song from 1991 by the band Right Said Fred…

The one that goes on and on about all the things “I’m too sexy” for?

It arrogantly declares, “I’m too sexy for my shirt.”

Maybe you think it’s disgusting that someone would sing about how they’re too sexy for shirts, cars, hats, Milan, New York and Japan… BUT WE THINK THE SAME THING ALL THE TIME.

Really?

Yes. Really.

We’re constantly thinking, “I’m too ___________ for ____________ .”

For instance…

“I’m too over-qualified for this.”

“I’m too under-qualified for that.”

“I’m too old for helping out with stuff like this.”

“I’m too young for something like that.”

“I’m too messed-up for church.”

“I’m too ___________ for ____________ .”

Basically, this line of reasoning says 1 of 2 things:

Either “I’m too GOOD for this,” or “I’m too BAD for that.”

You know the story of the Good Samaritan, right?

Here’s the super-condensed version:

Dude gets robbed and beaten. He’s left in the gutter to die. A little later, a priest comes by—and when he sees the dude, he avoids the situation by walking on the other side of the road. A few minutes later, a church leader does the exact same thing. Finally, a guy who is pretty low in terms of society’s scale shows up. He jumps in, helps the dude out, and personally finances his recovery (the full version is in Luke chapter 10).

In this story, the priest was thinking ”I’m too sexy for my shirt.”

OK, not really—but he was thinking “I’m too good for this,” which is just as stupid.

Same thing with the church leader.

The Samaritan, rather than thinking “I’m too bad for this,” made himself available to help.

His ego wasn’t over-inflated and it wasn’t under-inflated.

He didn’t think he was too sexy for his shirt.

He also was willing to do what he could.

What’s the point of all this?

STOP THINKING “I’M TOO SEXY FOR MY SHIRT.”

Stop believing “I’m too ___________ for ____________ .”

PUT YOUR SHIRT BACK ON, AND LET GOD USE YOU.

I thought I’d wrap up the year with some of the best posts from 2011…

GET OVER YOURSELF. AND COOTIES. (November 2, 2011)

I’ve had a number of experiences that helped push me to get over myself…

Like serving hot meals to people living on Skid Row in Los Angeles.

Like holding AIDS babies in a government hospital in Swaziland.

Like praying for a couple of prostitutes in drug-infested MacArthur Park—immediately after saying “amen,” one of the prostitutes put her arms around me and gave me a big hug.

In circumstances like these, I had to decide what’s more important—my comfort or real compassion.

To be honest, my brain offers me some less-than-compassionate thoughts, like…

“Ewwwwww!”

“Something smells and I don’t want to get it on me.”

“What about germs, diseases and cooties?”

I’m embarrassed and ashamed that my brain reacts that way. I know that’s not real compassion…

So I get over myself. And cooties.

The issue isn’t really about me or cooties—it’s about hurting, lonely, broken, scarred people.

I love the straight-forward language of this verse:

“Put yourself aside, and help others get ahead. Don’t be obsessed with getting your own advantage. Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand.” (Philippians 2.3, 4 MSG)

There’s a story in Luke chapter 5 about a man with an “advanced case” of leprosy. He comes to Jesus and begs for healing. Jesus could’ve prayed for the man from a distance—but he didn’t.

He reached out and touched the man.

He touched the leper BEFORE he healed him.

He touched him even though he was unclean and contagious.

There’s a significant take-away here:

When we find ourselves at the crossroads between our comfort and real compassion…

We must get over ourselves. And cooties.

We must choose compassion.

I thought I’d wrap up the year with some of the best posts from 2011…

NOT FOR LATER (October 10, 2011)

Some things are better later.

In my opinion, lasagna is one of those things.

I always like it better on the second or third day.

When showing up at a party—I’d rather arrive late than early.

Bed time is better later too…

But not everything is for later.

Some things are better now.

In particular, I’m thinking about generosity.

Generosity isn’t something to hold off on, wait for, or reserve for a later date.

Unfortunately, some view it that way. They think…

“When I am rich.”

“When I am more holy.”

Most of us believe that being selfish is unacceptable.

However, many still see generosity as something for another day—like when they arrive on the big stage or eventually become more virtuous.

The truth is, generosity doesn’t make a grand entrance later. Instead, it always starts small.

My parents taught me this principle before I was making enough money to pay income taxes.

They taught me to give from my paper route income…

And I’m thankful they did.

Giving a few dollars THEN set the stage for future hundreds—and eventually thousands, LATER.

You see, the capacity of your generosity LATER is established by your generosity NOW.

“If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones.” (Luke 16.10 NLT)

Your generosity LATER is being prophesied about by your generosity NOW.

When it comes to generosity, don’t wait for later.

Start where you are at, right now.

I thought I’d wrap up the year with some of the best posts from 2011…

MY OWN PERSONAL LITTLE GOAT TRAIL (August 23, 2011)

When I hiked the Grand Canyon, I kept noticing goat trails.

These weren’t hiking trails created or maintained by the Parks Department—they were made by mountain goats.

The animals walked the same route so many times that a trail was beat into the ground.

When I lived in Yakima, I made my own personal little goat trail.

I went from my house to Starbucks to the office to the gym to the grocery store to my house to Blockbuster Video and back to my house again…

Repeat.

Every day.

It felt like I was beating a trail into the ground.

I was doing the same things and going to the same places day after day.

If you connected my stopping points (house, Starbucks, office, gym, grocery store, video store) on a map, you would draw a circle.

And my life was lived within the boundaries of that circle.

I think we tend to do this with many areas of our lives…

Like relationships. Don’t believe me? Check your frequently called numbers in your cell phone.

Like our personal disciplines. Disciplines are good—they build the life we live. They can also limit and contain us.

Like our work. When was the last time you took on a new responsibility, invented something or developed a new solution to a difficult problem?

God doesn’t want us to spend our lives within a static circle.

His Kingdom is an ever-expanding Kingdom.

He calls us to look beyond our borders.

Think about it.

We’re here today, saved by His grace, because His followers pushed outside their borders some 2,000 years ago.

If they hadn’t looked beyond their borders, the church would only have existed in Jerusalem.

Do you remember the prayer of Jabez?

“Oh, that you would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that your hand would be with me, and that you would keep me from evil, that I might not cause pain.” (1 Chronicles 4.10 NKJV)

Let’s believe like Jabez—that God will help us to look beyond our borders and enlarge our territory.

It’s time to add some new stopping points and redraw the circle…

It’s time to beat a new trail!