From Pastor Don..Please like our page and share with friends and family. Living on the Edge A few decades ago, my hometown had a centennial that was a time of celebration like I have never seen before. The streets were full of people and things to do, and every night, the football stadium was filled as the people watched various performances that were orchestrated by a company from California. I will never forget one special night that involved one of my best friends. My friend had become involved with the directors of the show, and someone came up with an idea that totally stunned the crowd. A tall tower was built close to the stands. At first, it was unnoticeable to most because it was in the dark, but it soon had the attention of everyone in the stadium. Suddenly the stadium lights went out. Music began to play, and a spotlight shone on the top of a tall tower. The spotlight was on my friend, who was standing at the top on the very edge of the platform. There he stood with no shirt and wearing an Indian headdress on his head. The people sat and stared spellbound as if they were one. The questions on the minds of the people sitting in the stadium that night had to be: What does this mean? What is the reason and meaning of that tall tower? What will happen if he accidentally falls? He just seemed too close to the edge for safety. That is when the unthinkable jolted everyone to the place of hysteria. My friend began to lean forward and then plunged headfirst toward the ground. The people were on their feet, and screams reverberated throughout the stadium as the people were sure they had just seen a young man plunge to his death. There was, however, a barrel filled with water on the ground, and my friend was soon climbing out of it. It quickly became apparent that this shocking event had been staged. I later asked my friend where he learned to do that. His reply was almost as surprising as his fall. He told me he had never done it before. He had simply seen it done and wanted to try it out for himself. Many years later, it dawned on me that what happened that night was a good illustration of the way God wants us to live the Christian life. The Christian life is not meant to be lived in a lawn chair while we drink “spiritual lemonade” and munch on “spiritual cookies.” The Christian life is meant to be lived on the edge. Living on the edge is not comfortable, because we are afraid that the worst may take place, that we might fall and be hurt. Nevertheless, it is living on the edge that gets the attention of people who need Christ. When are we living on the edge? We live on the edge when God calls us to do something that is potentially hazardous. It is when we walk by faith and not by sight that we’re living on the edge. Abraham knew what it was to live on the edge. When he was seventy-five years old, he was living comfortably in his home surrounded by friends and family in Ur of the Chaldeans. At his age, he probably thought it was time to settle down, time to take it a little slower and easier, to enjoy life. Then God shined the spotlight on Abraham and told him to jump off the spiritual platform he was standing on. Here was a God whom Abraham had never known before, calling him to do something that must have seemed very foolish. Hebrews 11:8-10 tell us: By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God. God was telling Abraham in his old age to leave all he knew and all he had ever known, and to set out on a journey for a place he had never seen. Can you imagine Abraham trying to explain that to his wife? She was probably concerned for his sanity. That is really living on the edge, but that is what faith is all about. Faith is not sitting in the stands eating popcorn. Rather, faith is standing on the top of a tall tower in the dark, waiting to jump off at God’s command and leaving the results up to Him. Throughout my life, there have been a few times when I have stood on the tall platform and by faith have jumped off into the water. Years ago, I felt God calling me to leave my church family that I dearly loved. I was to load up a U-Haul trailer and move from the familiar surroundings that I grew up in to a huge city for the purpose of starting a new church with zero members, no place to meet, and no money to advertise. I can tell you for sure that it was a struggle, because if I missed the barrel, I would have lost everything. Since that time, I have learned that if God tells me to jump off the edge of a tall tower, then doing so is the safest thing I can possibly do. The danger is never the threatening circumstances. The danger is in not doing God’s will. Many years ago, my friend surprised all of us with something that we would have never thought he would have done. God is still in the business of surprising His people by calling them to do things that they never thought they would or could do. If God is calling you to something way out of your comfort zone, just remember that it is out there on the edge that we experience victories we will never forget the rest of our lives. It is when we are willing to live on the edge that people’s lives are impacted. Anyone can sit in the stands, but only people of faith dive off the platform into the water of God’s will. Are you one of those people? Our heavenly Father, we ask You to help us to have the faith and the courage to do what You’re calling us to do even though it is not comfortable. We want to see Your fruit in our lives, and we ask You to help us to walk by faith even when it seems dangerous to do so. we pray in Jesus’s name, amen. QUESTIONS TO PONDER The author spoke of living on the edge. What does it mean to “live on the edge” for God? Give examples. Read through Hebrews 11 and tell how the characters listed in that chapter lived on the edge. What is the opposite of living on the edge? Can you think of other Bible characters who chose to “live on the edge” for God’s glory? How do we know the difference between divinely directed risk-taking and foolishness? Is it possible to enthrone common sense as your guide to life? How often do you allow circumstances to dictate your decisions (Exodus 14:10-13)
Posted on: Thu, 20 Nov 2014 18:37:19 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015