 |
Living Out on a Limb
Matthew 25:25-28: '[The foolish servant said:] "I was afraid I might disappoint you, so I found a good hiding place and secured your money. Here it is, safe and sound down to the last cent." The master was furious. "That's a terrible way to live! It's criminal to live cautiously like that! If you knew I was after the best, why did you do less than the least? The least you could have done would have been to invest the sum with the bankers, where at least I would have gotten a little interest. Take the thousand and give it to the one who risked the most. And get rid of this "play-it-safe" who won't go out on a limb.' (The Message)
 According to the Bible, God takes no great pleasure in watching his people just 'getting by' in life. He doesn't much enjoy seeing his servants living a maintenance kind of life, with a keep-the-status-quo approach to the opportunities and challenges they face. In Jesus' story of the talents, one of the servants was afraid, so he hid what the master had invested in him. In end, the master reprimanded him and took away even the little he possessed, because he knew better. He'd been entrusted with precious resources and had failed to increase his master's property. If you and I operate out of fear, we too will fail to make a profit, to grow, to expand what God has given us. Many Christians are afraid to fail, so they hold what God has entrusted to them close to their chests. They cringe in the face of challenges; they back off and play it safe when life gets tough. They say, 'I don't want to fail.' But it is better to fail and start again and then go on to great increase, than not to start in the first place. As one writer put it, 'You can't discover new oceans until you lose sight of the shore.' Sometime in your life, you've got to let go of the safety line; you've go to walk the tightrope without a safety net. Without the possibility of failure there can be no great success. Without risk, there can be no achievement. As far as God is concerned, it is better to have tried and failed and picked yourself up again than to have buried your potential, or ignored your destiny, and missed the chance to grow and bring him glory. Today is you day! Go for it.
Prayer: 'Father, I want to push out from the shore to discover new horizons and explore new territory. Help me not to be afraid of failure, but to press on knowing that you take pleasure is seeing me grow and succeed.'
© 2003-2004 Mal Fletcher
|
|
 |
 |
Want to keep in touch with what Next Wave is doing each month? Enter your email address below.
|
 |
Mal, thanks for sacrificing your spare time to visit us at Newcastle CLC! Your insight into our current culture & your passion for acting upon the calling of Christ on our lives has inspired a young church in one of the best parts of Europe!
David Wright, United Kingdom
Dear Mal & all at Next Wave International, thank you for the work you are doing in reaching out to Europe with Christ's love.
Tony Gibbs, United Kingdom
Hi Mal, just wanted to say thanks for the awesome word of God you preached at Faith Camp, it really blessed my life!
Ross, United Kingdom
Send us your feedback |
|
