Discipleship Network Forum

Recently I’ve been reflecting on the stunning passage of Scripture where Jesus tells some fishermen in Galilee, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men” (Matthew 4:19). Captivated by this teacher and miracle-worker—later revealed as the Son of God—these men “immediately left their nets and followed Him.”

Think of how radical their response was. Without protesting or asking questions, they each left their livelihood in order to pursue an uncertain future as a follower of Jesus.

You see, right from the beginning, the Christian life was meant to be a GREAT ADVENTURE. But let’s be honest: Many of us who follow Jesus today have settled for a humdrum, risk-free brand of discipleship. Instead of being a great adventure, our lives could be described as a GREAT YAWN.

You’ve probably heard the principle: No risk, no reward. And often the greater the risk, the greater the potential reward.

Yet when was the last time you took a true step of faith in following Christ—some kind of action that would really cost you something if you got it wrong?

Well...a series of events, some expected and some not, have come together recently to propel me once again toward a more adventurous Christian life:

• My landlord decided to sell her house instead of renew my lease when it expired at the end of April.
• My daughter Abbie and her husband Hamish had my first grandbaby a few weeks ago, all the way in New Zealand.
• Hearing my initial plan to visit Abbie for about 10 days, my awesome boss suggested I take a longer period—even a month or two—“to figure out what God wants to do with the rest of my life.”
• Once again, my initial plan changed when I set out to find a new place to live after my sabbatical. Although I looked at several houses and apartments, I haven’t sensed peace about any of them at this point. So…believe it or not, I’ve moved everything I own into storage until I return. My only mailing address is a box at the UPS Store: 9789 Charlotte Hwy, Ste 400 #221, Fort Mill, SC 29707! 

Right now I’m scheduled to be back in my office at Inspiration Ministries on June 19, but that’s about all I know at the moment.

When I tell people about this season of new adventures in my life, they nearly all respond, “Wow, Jim. That’s really exciting!”

Yes, it IS really exciting. But it’s also a bit scary! It’s like jumping out of an airplane and hoping your parachute will work.

I’m looking for people to join me in the GREAT ADVENTURE. Of course, I would value your prayers, and I would love to have you click this link to make a special donation to Crosslink Ministries: http://smplfy.cm/2pJozpo

But even more than that, I invite you to join me in the fantastic adventure of drawing near to God and listening for His instructions for your life. Rediscover what it means to trust the Lord and let go of the things of this world.

Genuine faith is exhilarating…FUN! But it’s surely no fun being in a rut and sleepwalking through life.

The Bible says God has an open door for you, and He’s beckoning you to enter in: “Come up here, and I will show you things which must take place after this” (Revelation 4:1-2). Will you heed the call?                        

Over the past few years, I’ve met many people who’ve been wounded by life’s traumas. Some have gone through the agony of divorce or betrayal by a business partner. Others lost a loved one or were fired from a job.

After we’ve been traumatized, our tendency is to pull back and try to avoid further risks. We opt to play it safe and stay nestled within our comfort zone.

But I’ve found that comfort zones are a lot like coffins. In a coffin you’re already dead, but in a comfort zone you’re slowly dying. This seems like a distinction without much of a difference.

So…when was the last time you did something outside your comfort zone? When did you take a risk in order to get something you wanted or to advance toward a God-given dream?

You’ve probably heard the old maxim about turtles: They only make progress when they stick their neck out!

When was the last time you stuck your neck out?

In sixth grade I wrote the best poem of my life, and it was all about risk-taking. I must have been in a cynical mode that day, as you’ll see by the poem’s ending…

The ant, the ant, hid under a plant,

For he was afraid to be seen.

His friends had been crushed, and trampled and brushed,

By creatures much larger and mean.

So all day he stayed, and huddled and prayed,

But his hunger made his cowardice fade.

He jumped out and said, “BE BRAVE TILL YOU’RE DEAD!”

As a foot came down on his head.

As I reflect on the lessons in this, my greatest of poems, I feel sorry for the ant. I’m not particularly sorry for how his life ended, but rather for all the time he wasted playing it safe in his comfort zone.

The tragedy for many people is not how their life ends, but the sad fact that they never really lived. During the interval between their birth and their death, they seldom made a difference in the lives of others.

The ant in my poem was hiding under a plant, but I can’t help but wonder where you might be hiding today. Perhaps you are hiding from your true calling or hiding from the risk of loving someone deeply once again.

The ant threw his cowardice aside because he got hungry. I pray today that you will regain your hunger to fulfill God’s highest purposes for your life. May you hunger for “more,” and may your hunger be so intense that you cast your fears aside.

Be brave, my friend! There’s no other way to find real life.

“The person in right standing before God through loyal and steady believing is fully alive, really alive.” – Habakkuk 2:4 MSG