Faith and Wisdom

"Ever since I first heard of your strong faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for God's people everywhere, I have not stopped thanking God for you. I pray for you constantly, asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you spiritual wisdom and insight so that you might grow in your knowledge of God." -Ephesians 1:15-17
 
Are you more of a "wisdom" person, or are you more of a "faith" person? 

In life, I have discovered there are often two kinds of people: those who are risk-takers, and those who are risk-adverse. Both personality types have pros and cons, but both are essential to God's kingdom. 

People who are "faith" oriented love risk, and are not afraid of a new challenge. They love starting new endeavors and trying new things! Sometimes, though, risk can bring many challenges, such as betting too big of a hand, resulting in big losses. 

People who tend to play it safe are more "wisdom" oriented - they see the risks, count the cost, and opt to avoid the pitfalls. On the other hand, these people might be slow to take advantage of opportunity, (and may subsequently miss it), and might be prone to "hide" their gifts instead of investing them. In the Bible, Peter was a "faith" person; Solomon was a "wisdom" person. 

If you are a faith person, do you have wise people around you? Conversely, if you are a wisdom person, do you have people around you who challenge you to step out of the box and try new things? I am so thankful that God paired me up with a wisdom person, as I have often gotten myself into trouble being more of a faith person. 

The cool thing is, it is wise to be filled with faith, (the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom), and to be faithful is to be wise. (Ps 111:10) Do you have a healthy balance of both faith and wisdom in your life?

The "Safe" Way

Bubble-man stays safe in bubble suit.

"'Well done, my good servant!' his master replied. 'Because you have been trustworthy in a very small matter, take charge of ten cities.'" -Luke 19:17

I don't think there's a "safe" way to get to any sort of dream that matters. I mean, think about it. We try to go around things that are too hard - we look for the "less scary" option. Sure, there's room for prudence. But who has ever accomplished something great without great risk, either to their pride or their bank account?
 
To be different, one must choose to be outside of the norm. To be outside the range of the norm, one must choose rejection, doubt, uncertainty, and all the other costs associated with being, well, not normal. What happens then?
 
I am convinced those who care less about what other people think and more about what God thinks and what matters most to them will receive more, because they step out in faith. Isn't this parable described in the Bible? The man who invested all was rewarded, while the man who hid his "talents" was scolded. "You wicked servant!" -Luke 19:22 

Wicked?? That's a little harsh, don't you think? But it's true - the less you risk, the less faith you show you have, either in yourself, or in God. The more risk you are willing to take - risk, not plain stupidity, mind you - the more reward you will receive. God rewards risk. God rewards people who step out into the unknown, for Him. We must be prepared to accept the rejection, the hurt, the doubt, the unbelief.
 
Are you someone who chooses the safe option, every time? Or are you someone who takes risks for their God, so that other?s lives can be impacted through them?
 
"I tell you that to everyone who has, more will be given, but as for the one who has nothing, even what they have will be taken away." -Luke 19:27

Risky Business

His master replied, ‘I will judge you by your own words, you wicked servant! You knew, did you, that I am a hard man, taking out what I did not put in, and reaping what I did not sow? Why then didn’t you put my money on deposit, so that when I came back, I could have collected it with interest?’ - Luke 19:22&23

Have you ever taken a risk in your life? I don't mean a risk like gambling with money or dating someone you didn't really know...but putting yourself out there with a goal or trying something new?

When we try to do something we're never assured of success, but if we do not try at all we are assured of failure. Hockey great Wayne Gretzky said, "You will miss 100% of the shots you don't take."

Jesus told a parable about a master who left 3 servants in charge of his estate while he went out of town, and gave them each a share of his money. One doubled it, one made a 25% increase, but then one hid it in the ground so it would be safe. And do you know what? The servant who hid the money was punished.

The reason we don't try is that we are afraid of failure. But failure is not failure if we give it our best shot.  Failure becomes valuable wisdom as we learn what to do and what not to do. Failure becomes our teacher - if we let it. And failure paves the way on our road to success.

Sharing our faith involves risk. Starting a business involves risk. Starting a church or ministry involves risk.  We will have to give up our pride and let go of our ego (caring what other people think of us). But this should not let us miss out on the fruit the risk may produce. We must be careful that we do not end up like the wicked, lazy servant.

Anything worth doing will involve some sort of risk. Are you willing to step out in faith today?