Don't Play It Safe #3

Philippians 4:4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. 5 Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; 6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

At first glance, these well-known verses may not seem to apply to taking risks and not playing it safe. But in the context of the whole letter, it makes perfect sense.  Paul was writing to them from prison, telling them why he was there: he risked everything to live for Christ and spread His gospel.  Yet, he had joy.  He did not allow the stresses, persecution, and discomforts of prison steal his joy. He faced them courageously with prayer and thanksgiving, not allowing any of them to avoid taking risks when God called him to do something.  There is in fact a real sense that we will never experience the full joy of the Lord (and peace), if we are not willing to step out and throw caution to the wind.  This is not being "unreasonable", but in fact makes perfect sense. It is what Christ did when He came down to earth (see chapter 2) and what others like Timothy and Epaphroditus had done when they joined Paul in His crazy, dangerous journey of faith in Christ. May we know the joy that comes from taking risks and following Christ.