I Never Want To Live A Safe Life…

I want to share a lesson with you that I’ve learned… one I’m sure I’ve mentioned in bits and pieces before. But for once it is becoming quite clear to me and makes sense as a whole. See, I’m in my last few weeks as a student at Ohio State. I came to know Christ as a freshmen and desired to make God famous on this campus… that His name would be the only name on the hearts of those related to anything Ohio State (not Tressel, Griffin, Gee, etc.) because only one Name matters. I had a huge passion to see this happen and as I sit here with little time left I realize I have wasted my time as a student here. I had so many opportunities to get in conversations with students, be examples for professors, and share the gospel. I was in a real place of influence that I will never get to be in again. Mark my words I am not saying this to gain pity or excuse myself, I want you, the Christian at any university, to not make the same mistake as me. If you believe the gospel is the good news then what on earth is holding you back from sharing it to everyone you see?? The good news is only good news if it gets there on time!

But I cannot let the past hold me back. There are two paths in life that scripture describes very clearly: the wide path that leads to destruction and the narrow path that leads to life. It is very clear to me that the path I have been following is not the narrow one but the wide one because I did not look like Christ, I did not share the gospel, and my only concern was for myself. I may have been following the narrow path for a while when I became a Christian but I quickly diverted to the wide one and I realized how deep I was into that path after hitting the bottom this past winter. I realized I look like so much like the world… and it is impossible to be like Christ yet look like the world (if you think it’s possible go ahead and show me scripture that proves it… you won’t find it). All I wanted was a safe life with a wife, kids, and a career that could easily support that and keep things “safe.” Who in America does not want that? We’re told that’s what we are supposed to go for or we are considered a failure by our families and communities. But does that look like Christ?

No! A life following Christ does not look “safe.” I’m sorry it just doesn’t. It involves more risk than you’ll ever have to face in any other area in life. It is not enough to say you’re a Christian, do good things every once and a while, and say you’re saved. Christ told us to take up our crosses and follow Him. That means we must consider ourselves “dead” and follow Him. Anything short of that is not a life sold out to Christ and you will most likely fit right in with the world and its ways. Christ warned that since the world hated him it will not look favorably on His followers either. (Does the world look at you favorably?) With greater risk comes greater reward… any investor will tell you that. But if you play it safe you end up with pretty much the same stuff you started off with. So how is it any different from risking your entire life for the sake of the Gospel? The narrow path means that the great majority of people are not on it… you will not look like your neighbors, you won’t have the same things as your neighbors, you won’t have the same careers, incomes, families, and so on… but your reward is so much greater! You have a choice and only one path leads to life… do you look like everyone else or do you sacrifice everything for the sake of the gospel?

I decided after this winter and the certain things that happened to me that I never want to live a safe life. I would rather live paycheck to paycheck so that I’m forced to rely on God than live comfortably like so many Americans (and the American “church”). I want to be in jobs that put me right on the front lines of interacting with people and making a difference in their lives instead of working in a cubicle from 9-5. I don’t want my life to make sense to the majority of Americans… the people on the wide path… I want my life to make sense in light of eternity with Jesus. My whole life must be ministry and not any single part. I choose the narrow, risky, and uncomfortable path… now the question is posed to you: what path do you choose? As Robert Frost said in one of his poems: “Two roads diverged in a wood, and I– I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.” Pray with me:

“Lord, this is a tough message and I pray that it makes sense to me. Help me explore this more in Your Word and see how this relates to my life. May Your voice be louder than all the others in my life so that I know the truth and can chase after You all of my days. I pray that I become more outward focused so that others can hear this good news and know of this reward. Please make the reward real to me as well… I pray that I come to not only know what You have in store for me but that I will desire that reward more than anything. Jesus, You are everything and I pray that I live always and only for You. Amen”

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