Safe is Not The Answer
Let me paint a scenario.
A man gets to the heaven. This was not your average human being on the planet of earth. This was a nice middle age, middle-class American. A Christian, middle-class American. He stands before the throne of God Almighty. THE God. After he has fallen to his face and worshipped his Maker, it's time for business.
"Well, congratulations, my child. You succeeded in living the absolutely safest life you possibly could. You in no way went out of your comfort zone."
The soul in front of him is little taken back. But he knows better than to argue with GOD. God goes on.
"You disagree? You did read My Word. But somehow the Enemy persuaded you to pick and choose what you liked to follow. You loved the 'don't judge part' but you struggled with 'go and make disciples. of all nations'."
The American's mind goes back to the car wash he had participated in just a few months before he had died. He had handed out a few tracks. What about that? He hadn't actually talked to anyone. He has been too afraid to.
"My child, if you honestly thought that handing out a few tracks and singing 'Victory in Jesus' from the soft pew at the back of your comfy church was a enough to make me say, 'Well done, good and faithful servant,' then you were mistaken."
The man reaches in his pocket to play with his change. It was an old habit that he had had for years. When anxious and under pressure, he would reach down in his pocket and jingle the extra coins that always happened to be there.
God hears the jingle.
"You know, many all over the world starve to death. They could live weeks off of what you play with in your pocket now. But no, you always put it in a jar in your house and use it to buy your soft drinks."
The anguished soul looks down.
"My son, I love you. But as a Father, I only wish that you had obeyed me... that you would have heeded my Word. But you took it as an option. It was not an option. It has never been an option."
Compassion floods His voice. "I had so many plans for you. So many that I wanted you to lead to me. You turned me down. You were content with your well furnished house, nice car, vacations and 401K. You were supposed to share it. You were supposed to share Me. You were created to be radically different from this world, but you and your wife and kids blend right in."
Tears trace down the man's face. God continues.
"Oh America. America fools so many into believing that they are somehow more entitled to a "good" life than those poor people around the world. That I favor you all. I don't. I blessed you so that YOU could bless others. "
God welcomes the man in.
"Come into heaven my son. But I can not say, 'well done'."
Grim isn't it? This story is nowhere in the Bible. I made it up. Yet the Lord keeps telling me that many of us our going to be in this man's shoes. Maybe even you or me. I don't mean to depress you, but I do mean to wake us up... wake me up.
Though I don't usually heed or believe anything I read in a fortune cookie, I had to agree with this quote I once saw in one:
"A ship in harbor is safe, but that's not why ships are built."
Let me re-word.
"A Christian living the American dream is safe, but that's not what Christians are meant to do."
Safe is not the answer to serving God. He wants you to be wise, yes. But radical, purposeful, and compared to the world... He wants you to be crazy.
A man gets to the heaven. This was not your average human being on the planet of earth. This was a nice middle age, middle-class American. A Christian, middle-class American. He stands before the throne of God Almighty. THE God. After he has fallen to his face and worshipped his Maker, it's time for business.
"Well, congratulations, my child. You succeeded in living the absolutely safest life you possibly could. You in no way went out of your comfort zone."
The soul in front of him is little taken back. But he knows better than to argue with GOD. God goes on.
"You disagree? You did read My Word. But somehow the Enemy persuaded you to pick and choose what you liked to follow. You loved the 'don't judge part' but you struggled with 'go and make disciples. of all nations'."
The American's mind goes back to the car wash he had participated in just a few months before he had died. He had handed out a few tracks. What about that? He hadn't actually talked to anyone. He has been too afraid to.
"My child, if you honestly thought that handing out a few tracks and singing 'Victory in Jesus' from the soft pew at the back of your comfy church was a enough to make me say, 'Well done, good and faithful servant,' then you were mistaken."
The man reaches in his pocket to play with his change. It was an old habit that he had had for years. When anxious and under pressure, he would reach down in his pocket and jingle the extra coins that always happened to be there.
God hears the jingle.
"You know, many all over the world starve to death. They could live weeks off of what you play with in your pocket now. But no, you always put it in a jar in your house and use it to buy your soft drinks."
The anguished soul looks down.
"My son, I love you. But as a Father, I only wish that you had obeyed me... that you would have heeded my Word. But you took it as an option. It was not an option. It has never been an option."
Compassion floods His voice. "I had so many plans for you. So many that I wanted you to lead to me. You turned me down. You were content with your well furnished house, nice car, vacations and 401K. You were supposed to share it. You were supposed to share Me. You were created to be radically different from this world, but you and your wife and kids blend right in."
Tears trace down the man's face. God continues.
"Oh America. America fools so many into believing that they are somehow more entitled to a "good" life than those poor people around the world. That I favor you all. I don't. I blessed you so that YOU could bless others. "
God welcomes the man in.
"Come into heaven my son. But I can not say, 'well done'."
Grim isn't it? This story is nowhere in the Bible. I made it up. Yet the Lord keeps telling me that many of us our going to be in this man's shoes. Maybe even you or me. I don't mean to depress you, but I do mean to wake us up... wake me up.
Though I don't usually heed or believe anything I read in a fortune cookie, I had to agree with this quote I once saw in one:
"A ship in harbor is safe, but that's not why ships are built."
Let me re-word.
"A Christian living the American dream is safe, but that's not what Christians are meant to do."
Safe is not the answer to serving God. He wants you to be wise, yes. But radical, purposeful, and compared to the world... He wants you to be crazy.
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