Faith Involves Taking Risks

"Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass." (1 Thessalonians 5:24 NASB)

As we follow Jesus, he will move us deeper into faith by asking us to take risks. But they are never the proverbial "leap of faith" into darkness; rather they are specific risks that Jesus tells us to take.
He asks us to do this because each risk, taken in faith, shows us that Jesus will take care of us, just as he has promised. Each time we take a step of faith, it moves us further away from living by sight, independent from God, and closer to living a life of faith, where you truly believe you are secure in God's promises. "Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass" (1 Thessalonians 5:24 NASB).
When we do not live by faith, we live faithlessly - because any decision made independent of God is a faithless decision, no matter how good or right it may appear. Jesus is simply guiding us to the same deep intimacy he has with the Father: "Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does" (John 5:19 NIV).
Talk About It

What is your natural reaction to taking risks?

What are some steps you believe God is telling you to take that seem risky? How will you move forward in faith?

Jon Walker's new book, Breakfast with Bonhoeffer, is a story of God's faithfulness during struggles with bipolar disorder, divorce, and economic uncertainty.
This devotional © Copyright 2012 Jon Walker. All rights reserved. Used by permission.

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