Americans live in a world of comfort. We are given so much, but we rarely take what we have to the limit. Like driving a race car and only driving at 45mph every day when the car was made to go 180mph. Or, as pastor George Robertson spoke of several Sundays ago, we have a massive air compressor in our garage that we only ever use to pump up basketballs instead of pumping air into a car tire or some other large object. If that’s all we use the car or the air compressor for, what’s the use of having it? It’s the same with God. We have a huge God and we only let Him work small wonders in our lives. That’s all we’re comfortable with. We keep asking God for small things instead of big, God-sized things.
We make lots of money to make ourselves comfortable, rarely experiencing what a difference could be made if we gave that money to someone else. We use it to buy things for ourselves. We live in homes with comforts that God has blessed us with, but with these comforts comes complacency. Complacency grows and gives little space for God. We put God in our box and expect him to be just that, what we expect. We stop engaging in the battle for the kingdom of God and Satan stops
attacking us because we’re no longer a threat to him. Now, that’s a
scary thought – when we become numb to the battle around us, Satan
stops pursuing us because we are not working to advance God’s kingdom any longer. We are comfortable. No longer a threat.
I’ve been asked, “Why are you going on the world race?” My response is, “Three reasons: 1. I am dead to sin. 2. I am ALIVE in Christ! 3. RISK IS RIGHT!” If I never risk it all for the kingdom, how will I know my Savior? If I know that Jesus is the answer to all the world’s pains and sorrows, and I keep it to myself,what have I gained? If I know that my eternity is to be spent in the arms of the Father, what have I to lose? The answer is, risk is right! I am going into the battle and waging war against the “rulers and principalities of this dark and evil age.” I plan on making God big in my life, and being worth Satan’s attacks. I don’t know about you, but I’m driving my race car at 180mph, I’m not going to mess around driving it at a mere fraction of what it can really do. I’m going to ask for God-sized things and watch Him blow my mind! I’m going to risk it all for the kingdom and look for God to show up, BIG time!
(John Piper gave me the phrase, “risk is right”- he has lots of sermons on this at his website if you are interested.)
