Taking Risk Part 1

Galatians 6:7-9 7Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. 8The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature[a]will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. 9Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

How do you feel when you find out you have been lied to?

What emotions do you experience when a manipulator convinces you that a lie is the truth and a truth is a lie?

When it says “do not be deceived” in the verse above, that is exactly what it is talking about. You buy into lies that are being told by others and you no longer see them as wrong. These are not blatant lies that you notice right away as lies but deceiving lies that lead you astray one step at a time, and eventually, you buy into the world’s mentality and the world’s way of thinking.
The verse goes on to say that “God cannot be mocked.” The word “mocked” literally means “to turn up the nose”. God is mocked when we look at what He is saying and we ignore it or throw it back in His face, as if we know better than He does. God is mocked when we no longer call sin what He calls sin, when we substitute truth for a lie, and then call it “truth”. God is mocked when we twist His word (the Bible) to make it fit our lifestyle and not make our lifestyle fit the Bible.

“A man reaps what he sows”, should be one of the most comforting and challenging parts of scripture we read. It should be comforting because you know that one day the lies and the lifestyle people are living, will eventually be exposed for what they really are. The challenge is that we know that everyday counts in what we will produce later. (Numbers 32:23)

So what does this verse have to do with taking a risk? The risk you take is trusting God that what He says will come true. This is called “faith”. Faith is trusting in God and who He is and for what He did on the cross for us. Faith that says God will do what you want, when you want it, for your benefit is not real faith. Proper faith trusts God that no matter what this world does or says to you because you are in a right relationship with Him through Jesus Christ. This is a faith in which God will eventually be glorified and will reward you for your faithfulness no matter what your circumstances. Sometimes, however, the rewards do not come when we expect them (see 1 Peter 1:4).

Hebrews 11:32-39 And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel and the prophets, 33who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, 34quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. 35Women received back their dead, raised to life again. Others were tortured and refused to be released, so that they might gain a better resurrection. 36Some faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison. 37They were stoned[a]; they were sawed in two; they were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated— 38the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground. 39These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised.

The people referred to in the verses above took a risk following Christ and not all of them experienced a reward this side of Heaven. They stayed faithful, even though it cost them everything. They had the focus of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego who, when faced with death, stood strong.

Daniel 3:16-18 Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to the king, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. 17 If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. 18 But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up."

Are you able to face difficult circumstances, make a choice and then say “But if not…”? Are you able to take a risk and trust that even when bad things happen, God has a plan? If you stand for truth, you will have people mad at you and they may even try to destroy you. Just like Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, the liars will be found out for who they really are and they will be the ones who are destroyed in the end.

Matthew 19:29 And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother[a] or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life.

A day is coming when God will reward us for our faith in Him. First of all, we are already rewarded by faith in Jesus Christ and what He did on the cross. If we believe in Him, then we are in a right standing with God and can spend eternity with Him. Secondly, as we walk through this life, we can have faith that everything we walk through God uses for His plan and purpose (see Romans 8:28).

One of the stories in the Bible we might look at when taking a risk is the incident when Jesus and Peter walked on water. In Matthew 14:22-31, we see that Peter asked Jesus to call him out of the boat. It was risky, but he did it. Yes, some people focus on him falling, but he actually did walk on water. Did he doubt? Yes. Will you doubt as you step out in faith? Possibly. Will Jesus be there to make sure you do not drown? He didn’t let Peter drown.
Taking a risk is not staying in the boat where it is safe. It is about stepping out, sometimes away from everyone else, toward Jesus. Taking a risk is about faith in God, not about faith in yourself, your plans or your dreams.

Galatians 6:9 9Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

Some observations and questions:

Name a time that you took a risk and it paid off for you.
Name a time it did not pay off for you.
Is there a time you did not make any decision and you missed out on an opportunity?
What is a bigger fear, the fear of failure or the fear of regret?
Do you think your decisions today will affect your tomorrow?
What if God does not come through like you thought He should, will you still trust Him?
What risk is Jesus calling you out from the others to do?