The Road Most Travelled

When I was seven years old I jumped off a high dive. It seemed to shock everyone in the pool that day, especially my mother. I don’t know if you were like me or not, but when I was younger I seemed willing to take more risks. I road my bike off ramps. I didn’t mind talking to new kids. I jumped off high dives. However, it seems the older I get, the more fearful I am of taking risks. 

Fear is an active barrier to a Christian who wants to obey God, because at some point God will likely ask you to do something that might just freak you out. If fear is the barrier, then comfort is the placebo we think will keep us safe, but often it simply lulls us into disobedience.

For many it is easy to lose that willingness to step out in faith, to take risks, to let go of our “security”. The question I ask myself is, “Have we gotten too comfortable?” I hear so many Christians complain that America is slipping from its Christian roots, yet those same people seem unwilling to take any risk outside of posting their thoughts on social media. When you look at the Bible, it is easy to see when God moved, it was rarely safe. Moses confronted Pharaoh. David took on a giant. The disciples left their jobs and families to follow Jesus. 

Would we be so bold? If God spoke to you in a burning bush, would you obey or would you suspect you were suffering from heat stroke? Would you confront a giant? Would you drop everything to follow Jesus? 

Heck, lets even look at small things. What if God asked you to stop drinking coffee, stay off the internet, walk more, and drive less? Have we gotten too comfortable? Are we hearing God or is our caffeine, air conditioning, and favorite TV shows drowning out His voice? The truth is, that MOST of the time MOST of us take the road MOST travelled, the path of least resistance and MOST comfortable. 

I wonder what kind of impact Christians would make if we stopped complaining about what is wrong in the world and instead decided to truly obey God in every aspect of OUR lives. But to obey, means letting go of control. This requires faith.  

"And without faith it is impossible to please him ..." Hebrews 11:6 ESV

If I were to be honest, in my weaker moments I’m not interested in what pleases God. I’d much rather He please me by giving me what I want. I want to be comfortable. I fear, fear. Yet, He calls us to have faith.

What is the barrier to faith for you? Money? People? Regardless of our barriers to obedience, we must remember the words of Jesus:

"So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple." Luke 14:33 ESV

Ouch.

Is there something you find difficult to renounce? For me, it is control. I want to know what I’m doing and where I’m going; and I know, when God asks you to do something, you don’t always know how it will turn out. 

When God moves, it is rarely safe, but it is always right. Moses helped deliver Israel. David became King. The disciples witnessed the life of Jesus. As difficult as it may seem, when we step out in faith to obey God, we can trust His way is better than ours. 

"Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God." Psalm 20:7 ESV

Let us not be deceived by comfort. Let us be willing to take the dive when God asks. Most likely, the path He is asking you and me to travel is not the road MOST travelled. 

Copyright © 2017 Jayce O'Neal. Used by permission.