Don't Play It Safe #15

Now that we are over half-way through our series on being willing to take risks in serving God, we pause to be reminded that we are not talking about careless, reckless abandon. Nor are we talking about some kind of self-sufficient "I can do anything I want" foolishness under a supposed umbrella of "faith." That is make perfectly clear by Christ in Matthew 4:

  3 And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” 4 But he answered, “It is written,
“‘Man shall not live by bread alone,
    but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple 6 and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written,
“‘He will command his angels concerning you,’ and
“‘On their hands they will bear you up,
    lest you strike your foot against a stone.’”
7 Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’” 8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 9 And he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” 10 Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written,
“‘You shall worship the Lord your God
    and him only shall you serve.’”

When Christ took the bold step to come to earth, setting aside His manifest glory, He did not just snap His fingers anytime He was hungry.  When He went to the temple, He did not demand attention because it was His house.  When He stood on the mountainside to speak, He did not call on His listeners to bow before Him.  All of these would have been selfish sins.  If there is any verse here that sticks our in our study it is v.7: ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’” "Not Playing It Safe" is not the same as foolishly and selfishly seeing or demanding God to protect us in our presumptive behavior; it is trusting Him to keep us safe when we respond in faith and obey His call on our lives.  It is living life in the balance.