I have always been somewhat of a risk taker. Ok, that’s not true…but I want it to be. I really feel like the biggest rewards are on the other side of risks. Most Christians don’t take enough risks, I’m not sure when following Jesus became such a safe and easy thing to do. It was never that way for the people we read about in the Bible.
Mark Batterson wrote a book titled In A Pit With A Lion, it’s a book I have read several times and has had a huge influence on my life. In Mark’s book he talks about risk and as a follower of Jesus, risk should be a part of our lives. In his book he says, “Maybe following Christ isn’t supposed to be as safe or as civilized as we’re been let to believe. Maybe Christ was more dangerous and uncivilized than our Sunday-school flannel graphs portrayed. Maybe God is raising up a generation of lion chasers.”
The book is all about the life of a man named Benaiah. We don’t know much about him, only what is recorded of his story in 1 Chronicles 11:22-25. This short little window of Benaiah’s life shows us this crazy, redneck that did what most people would never even think about. He chased a lion, in the snow, into a pit and killed it. Most normal people would run when they see a lion but not Benaiah.
I want to be like Benaiah, to be able to look at risk and not flinch. Are you taking any risks right now in showing your community the grace and love of Jesus? It could be as simple as loving people that sin differently then you. Love is the biggest risk of all, but it is also the most rewarding. Will you risk showing someone love this week?
You can grab Mark’s book here: In A Pit With A Lion