Be Daring!

Years ago Piper and I, along with a group of sponsors that we put together for this specific occasion, took our youth group and some of their friends to what was then Marriott’s Great America theme park in Santa Clara California.  The park has changed hands a few times since then and is now called California’s Great America and is owned by Cedar Fair Entertainment Company.  In what was to became a regular plan for the many trips we took to that park over the years since then, with different churche's youth groups, we split the students and sponsors up into groups as they enjoyed the many entertainment events, rides, gift shops and food.

Piper and I teamed up with our good friend John Sillman in the leadership of our small group.  John was an adventurous young man and kept trying his best to get me to go on the various roller-coaster rides throughout the park.  I had endured a scary incident on an old wooden roller coaster at another park as a kid and had vowed that I would never go on another one again!  But you know… John persisted throughout the afternoon and finally convinced me to try it out… and I did… and I had a BLAST!

After that and many more rides on the various rollercoasters throughout the park, John and I turned our attention to Piper!  As many of you know, Piper is normally quite the adventurous kind or you might even say “daring”...  EXCEPT for some reason which I don’t recall, she would not step a foot unto a roller coaster!  Thinking about it now though, it may have been the upside down turns, as I do recall that she never liked doing any kind of gymnastics in which she had to be upside down.  But anyway, we gently worked on my sweet young wife throughout the late afternoon and into the evening hours.  And then when there was about an hour left before the park closed for the night and our return home, she reluctantly gave in!  Well… you can figure out the rest!  She LOVED IT and ended up riding one particular roller coaster almost continually until we had to leave!

As I continued my study of Matthew 14:22-33 this morning, I discovered that Jesus many times also calls us to be “daring” in our walk of faith in this life!  If you remember the three things that I wrote about in Monday’s blog post (“It Works Every time – 9/18/17) then you understand that according to Matthew 14:27 when “…Jesus said, "Calm down! It's me. Don't be afraid!" He was in effect teaching us that when we are tempted to or actively react in fear to a negative situation that He will immediately call out to us and encourage us to:

1) Calm down!

2) Get your eyes back on Me

3) And after that: Don’t be afraid!

Upon further review I noticed that the term “Be of good cheer” from the King James Version of the above verse comes from another Greek word that means “to be ‘daring’ or full of boldness.” (Strong’s for G2294)  So when you put this new information together with Wednesday’s blog’s* thoughts of Jesus encouraging us to take steps of faith, you can deduce that Jesus is actually adding a fourth step to the three mentioned above and is telling us after following the first three steps to then:

4)    Prepare to be “daring” and bold in order to follow what He is about to tell us to do in response to the negative situation before you!

The Oxford Online Dictionary defines to be “daring’ as one who is “adventurous or audaciously bold.”  To be “audacious” is to be “willing to take bold risks.”  What do you think?  Does that describe your Christian walk in difficult times?  One thing I have come to learn about Piper and I over the years is that when different folks have spoken against what we believed to be our Spirit-led steps in the various situations of our lives, that it only served to strengthen our resolve to complete the things He told us to do!  So once again, in effect, they were actually helping us to be “daring” and audacious in our steps of faith!

I’m not sure about how you feel about it, but I get a ZING of excitement when I think about Papa God calling us to be “daring,” adventurous and audacious in following the steps that He calls us to take in this life!  That is probably why some people have looked at Piper and I like we had just landed from another planet when we’ve told them what we are doing in response to God’s call!  I’d love to know what you think about this…

So… I encourage you to mull over what I’ve written about today over this weekend, and as you do, keep asking yourself… “Am I expecting myself to be considered ‘daring,’ adventurous and audacious in following God’s plan for my life today?”

*“Come Ahead!” 9/20/17