You’ve probably heard “religion is a crutch” or more specifically “Jesus is a crutch”. Well, yeah. He is. Isn’t that the point?
What you don’t often hear is this: Following Jesus is a risk. Why? Because when I choose to follow Him, I open myself up to attack, particularly if I am vocal about my beliefs. Satan would rather I play for his team, but he is quite happy when I sit on God’s bench and do nothing. The moment I step up to bat, however, I become an easy target.
Deciding to follow Christ is not about crawling into a cave, shutting one’s eyes, and hibernating. It’s not about donning a permanent set of earbuds and piping musak through them until the Second Coming. It’s about letting God know whose team you are on, and then going to bat for Him. Luckily, we don’t stand up to Satan alone. We have His support. Some may call it a “crutch”.
Still the task can be daunting. The fear of the unknown. The fear of letting down the team. The fear of failure. The fear of public embarrasment. When we choose to offer our lives, our talents, our bodies, and our souls to God we invite attack, scrutiny, rejection, failure, embarrassment, responsibility, discomfort. The list goes on. Is this list what keeps some unbelievers from accepting Christ? Is it what keeps some believers from stepping up to bat and boldy proclaiming His truth?
Who among us is willing to take the risk? Am I? Are you?
Wire (excerpt)
by Third Day
Turn on the spotlight, strike up the band
Everyone’s looking my way
They came to see the excitement firsthand
And hear all that I’ve got to say
Oh, it makes me wonder
What if I slip, will they catch me
Or watch me fall?
I am walking on a wire
I tiptoe in through the fire
Never looking down to see that
I am walking on a wire
The pressure’s getting higher
But I don’t look around
It’s so far to the ground
What if I Stumble (excerpt)
by DC Talk
Father please forgive me for I can not compose
The fear that lives within me
Or the rate at which it grows
If struggle has a purpose
On the narrow road you’ve carved
Why do I dread my trespasses will leave a deadly scar
Do they see the fear in my eyes?
Are they so revealing?
This time I cannot disguise
All the doubt I’m feeling
What if I stumble, what if I fall?
What if I lose my step and I make fools of us all?
Will the love continue when my walk becomes a crawl?
What if I stumble, and what if I fall?
What if I stumble, what if I fall?
You never turn in the heat of it all
What if I stumble, what if I fall?
You are my comfort, and my God
When we evaluate the risk, it’s small because of the reason you cited here, Jess. He is with us. If we listen to the Holy Spirit, we can press on with His divine direction. Now it doesn’t guarantee a perfect response, but it guarantees the blessing of obedience. We forfeit next to nothing in this country for expounding upon or sharing our faith where in other countries they lose their lives for Jesus. The total key is listening to the Holy Spirit and doing what He tells us when He tells us.
Good word. Great lyrics. Love both bands.
Great thoughts, Nicole. Thanks for adding perspective. You make it sound so simple.
When I’ve “dabbled too much in the world” rather than reading my Bible, listening to Christian radio, praying, the Holy Spirit’s voice can get lost in the noise. I have only myself to blame for that. It’s not that I’ve wandered too far or for too long. But, I notice, I feel the negative effects of wandering a lot quicker lately. That could be a good sign, meaning, I am growing closer to Him and, therefore, am quicker to notice when I’ve allowed myself to fall away a bit. And, of course, I understand the stakes much more now than ever before…
Like Nicole said, Americans sacrifice little when expressing faith in Jesus. However, it still hurts when people scoff or turn their backs when we do.
Like you, Jessica, I need to shut out the daily noise and focus on Jesus more. I’ve strayed myself of late.
I hope when the cost is high I’ll stand up and proclaim my faith. It doesn’t mean anything until there’s something to lose.
Andra, you and Nicole are absolutely right. As Americans we do not put ourselves at physical risk when we declare the gospel. However, we do put ourselves at emotional and spiritual risk. I guess what I mean by that is, we run the risk of slipping up, damaging our testimony, and perhaps leading astray those we have tried to point towards Christ. Along with that can come much disappointment in ourselves, embarrassment in the face of others, and pain at the thought of those who might remain lost because of our mistakes. Also, as I have grown to understand the implications of not accepting Christ, it makes it all the more painful to know the eternities of some I care deeply about are in jeopardy because of their current refusal to accept His offer. So, these are the types of risks I am referring to.
Along the same lines, it might make me “feel better” to say, “all paths lead to God”. Then I do not have to be concerned about anyone beyond the here and now. But, I have to be intellectually honest with myself, as uncomfortable as that may be. The fact is, based on my experience, my studies, my observations, etc., my logical conclusion is Jesus is the one way to God. All those other paths lead somewhere, but I know not where. Like I said, part of me would rather stick my head in the sand and say “it’s all good”, but I think the wiser thing to do is face the reality of the human condition and…step up to bat.
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