Risk it all

Risk: "to expose to the chance of injury or loss".

Scary word isn't it? The thought of risk these days is scary. Risk means that something is out of our control, unable to be tamed, unable to be contained. Being the control freak I am, having anything out of my control scares me to death. I try to prevent taking a risk that could result in loss at all costs. Yet, isn't this the kind of risk we are called to take every day when we love others?

A few weeks ago I found myself afraid to share the Gospel with someone out of fear of getting rejected. I was so consumed with my own personal ego to take a step back and see what was on the line here, someone's eternal destiny. I then put myself in their shoes, and was deeply convicted. If that was me, I know that I would want someone to be willing to put their pride aside and look like a fool in order to help save me from something I didn't even know I needed saving from. Did I not love them enough to put my own personal feelings aside and focus on the condition of their heart? Oh, how that moved me. I found myself deeply broken over the fact that I have been so blind to those hurting around me whose LIVES were at stake here, and I knew that a change needed to be made - I needed to risk it all to love fearlessly. I mean isn't that what true, authentic love looks like, a risk? That crazy kinda doesn't make sense, put yourself all out there kind of love? The kind of love that knows it might get flat out rejected but loves recklessly anyway? The kind of love that overwhelms you and consumes you and transformes you; the kind of love our Heavenly Father has for us. In 1 John chapters three and four it speaks of the kind of love that Christ has for us.

1 John 3:16,18 "By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth."

1 John 4:10-11 "In this is love, not that we have loved God but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another."

1 John 4:18-19 "There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. We love because he first loved us."

In our world today, Christians are pegged as hypocrites because the "love of God" has been twisted and misunderstood by society. But what if we loved in such a way that those who are lost could not deny its power, the power of a King. Oh how things would change if we took the risk to love like the way we were called to. This kind of love would be undeniable and authentic to those who have never experienced it, all while pointing to our King. Imagine a world where our hearts resembled the heart that our Almighty God had for us when He came down dwell amongst those who were hurting, that He might risk it all to love them. The God of the universe lowered Himself to the point of rejection, to send His Son to die for us, that we might truly understand the love He has for us. He was willing to risk it all. Are you?

Prayer:

Oh Lord,

Help me to love like this! Help me to care enough about the spiritual wellbeing of those around me to put my life, reputation, pride, and stubborn ways aside that they might experience YOUR true kind of RECKLESS Love! Oh the Love You have for me, Oh how it has transformed me! And You would go to ANY length to make sure I knew that, so why won't I go to any length to help others experience that kind of love too? Lord, humble me and open my eyes to those hurting around me. Help me to be intentional with every soul I encounter. Guide me and strengthen me Lord, that I might risk it all to love like you.

In Jesus Name,

Amen