I read a short article in a Charles Stanley publication the other day. Author Mark Batterson wrote about the "risk of taking no risks," and stated that social psychologists have said "over the short term, we tent to regret actions -- things we did that we wish we hadn't. But over the long haul, we tend to bemoan inactions -- things we didn't do but wish we had."
Wow!
He encourages us to remember there are sins of omission and we should do some things in obedience and faith. He pointed out that Jesus didn't get in trouble with the people of His day because He did nothing. By contrast, Jesus was "too dynamic to be safe." He was gutsy!
And Mark Batterson challenged us by asking "what lion is God calling you to chase?" Hmmm.
Great timing for me and Andrew.
And then I got an e-mail from my friend Leslie who mentioned in her devotions ... well, I'll just copy it here:
My devotions are in Exodus right now, and God says in Ex. 14:14,
"The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace." And He did! Great,
miraculous victories, won by God, not man. But at the same time (and this is where
I got so excited this morning : ) in the next verse He says, "Why do you cry to Me?
Tell (them) to go forward..." God wants us to move forward in faith.
Yes, we need to walk with Him and talk with Him, but also, we need to have faith,
and MOVE FORWARD. Don't sit around waiting for a sign: when we know it's God's
will, go for it! Trust Him to work!
Another wow for me! I am often most fearful of DOING something! Ahh! It's like I want God to send me an e-mail with instructions on what to do! So Mark's article and Leslie's e-mail were a wake-up call for me.
I remember being at church one Wednesday night listening to my preacher speak on Ecclesiastes where Solomon talks about the vanity of a life lived for self. How that one day you get to the end of life and think, "What did I do that is of any value? What did I do for God?" I was so sad. I thought, "Oh my goodness, that is going to be me! I am going to have good intentions all my life, but DO absolutely nothing." Instead of being encouraged by Brian's message, I felt so much sadness.
So I need to do something and, Lord willing, I'm going act in faith and chase that lion!
(By the way, we ordered Mark's book.)
4 comments:
I enjoyed your thoughts in this blog. Definitely something to chew on. Now I just need to figure out and solidify which Lions to chase...
Oh, I'm glad this was of some benefit to you! And I'm glad you posted so I can find your blog again. I tried adding you to my blogroll one time, but it didn't work for some reason. :-/ I need to see what's new over there. Thanks so much for your comment.
So what kind of lions are you going to start chasing?
Very thought provoking post dear Sister in Christ. I pray that in 2009, I will make a difference for God. I look forward to watching you chase the lion. I'm adding your link to my blogroll.
Love in Christ as I cheer you on!
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