RISK AND REWARD | Northstar Church

“Farmers who wait for perfect weather never plant. If they watch every cloud, they never harvest. Just as you cannot understand the path of the wind or the mystery of a tiny baby growing in its mother’s womb, so you cannot understand the activity of God, who does all things. Plant your seed in the morning and keep busy all afternoon, for you don’t know if profit will come from one activity or another—or maybe both.” – Ecclesiastes 11:4-6.

Everybody has one, maybe more, risk-takers in their life. These are people who are willing to kick fear aside and take on challenges, regardless of the outcome. So when an opportunity presents itself, they are brave for God and step forward without hesitation, trusting God when things get dicey.

The Bible tells of real people who obeyed the Lord in uncertain situations. One of them is Ananias, a disciple sent by God to minister to the newly converted Saul. Ananias risked his life by visiting this leading enemy of Christianity. Saul, too, lived with risk after his conversion, facing peril almost every day of his life as he obediently preached the same gospel that he’d previously opposed. Both men obeyed God despite the risk and uncertainty and were used greatly by the Lord.

Taking risks is a Godly trait. When you take risks for God’s sake, you put yourself in a place dependent on God. Your risk speaks volumes to God. It’s in those moments that your faith grows. In Matthew 25, a man going on a long trip gave three different people three different amounts of talents. One of them decided to avoid any risk. To the one who risked nothing because he was afraid, the master said, “That’s a terrible way to live! It’s criminal to live cautiously like that! If you knew I was after the best, why did you do less than the least” (Matthew 25: 26-27 MSG). Later on, the man who gave the money said, “Get rid of this play-it-safe who won’t go out on a limb….” (vs. 28-30 MSG).

If we are facing a seemingly insurmountable problem–a situation that we believe we are powerless to influence–we should be still and wait on the Lord. But there will also be times when action is required, when we may be asked to take bold steps and take some risks.

Whatever your risks are, I promise you this: God will prove himself faithful. Give him the chance to show you. He is good enough to show patience with your doubt and do something huge in your life with the tiniest speck of real faith, as Jesus said in Matthew 17:20: “…I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it would move. Nothing would be impossible.”

Faith is simply doing what God tells you to do whether you feel like it or not, and in fact, especially when you don’t feel like it, regardless of the circumstances, because God will see you through. Where is God calling you to trust Him? Remember, each time you face risk; you can experience His faithfulness firsthand.

Discussion Questions:

Why do you think God asks us to take risks? What do we learn about ourselves, and how do we grow by taking risks?
How do we balance bold risk with wise safety? We don’t want to be foolishly daring, nor overly cautious, in our love to others, do we?
What are the obstacles to stepping out of our comfort zones and taking risks?