A risk worth taking

Will you suffer, will you risk??

2 Timothy 3:12

And indeed, all who desire to live a Godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.

Matthew 10:22

"And you will be hated by all on account of My name, but it is the one who has endured to the the end who will be saved."

Here in South Africa the teachings of prosperity, and the health and wealth gospel are everywhere!   It boggles my mind to see how pastors and leaders of these churches can preach this junk.   They will preach that God has sent his Son Jesus to die for us and that when we accept this we will instantly have the "good life."   Many people believe this because they see these preachers driving nice cars, living in nice houses etc...   Its sad to see so many people missing the point.  No where in the Bible does it say accepting Christ means an easy life here on earth.  Actually it says quite the opposite.  Living for Christ means going against the norms of the World.  

Most of us as Americans have a pretty good life, one of comfort and ease.  It is so easy for us to get used to having nice things, and being able to take care of ourselves.  This makes it hard for us to be a Christian sometimes, we get used to all the stuff we have, the friends, the money, the security.  We have gotten used to a way of life and don't want to do anything to possibly mess with that.  Now there is nothing wrong with having anything and everything, but if we aren't willing to risk it all for the sake of Christ, then we are putting more into our possessions and security then we are Christ.   Most of us fear persecution, we fear suffering... why?  Because it's not nice to go through, I mean who really wants to be ridiculed by people, made fun of, beat up, lose our stuff?  Not me.   But now I ask myself if I want to grow in my relationship with God, if I want to become more like Christ day by day.  My answer is of course... YES!  I have known the verse James 1:2-3 for quite sometime now. It says "Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance".    This is an easy verse to give someone when they are going through a tough time, I have used it for people many times.  But I have lived a lot of my life in a way to avoid this verse at all costs.  I have missed out on a lot of joy and the chance to increase my faith and ultimately growing closer in my relationship with Christ.  I didn't take risks, plain and simple.  So many of us Christians live safe lives. We are missing out on so much God has to offer us when we do this.  We have become content with "lukewarmness."  I think deep down most of us truly want to experience God at the deepest level, but how can we, when we wont open ourselves up to the possibilities of suffering, actually the the guarantee of suffering.  While suffering may not be fun and enjoyable, the benefits of a close and meaningful relationship with God make it SOOOO worth it.  I want to be like the apostles in Acts chapter 5, when they left the Sanhedrin rejoicing and praising because the were worthy enough to suffer disgrace for the Name of Christ!  It all starts with taking a risk for Christ!!!  Don't play it safe, this is one instance where taking a risk is the right thing to do!  Think about it, if Peter wouldn't have taken the risk of getting out of the boat and stepping onto the stormy sea after Jesus said come, he never would have had the experience of walking on water!  We must ask ourselves, what risk is God calling us to take??  Don't fear suffering, embrace it!