YouTube Channel Video Devo
“Living In the Red”
Matthew 10:16-20 NIV
I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves. Be on your guard; you will be handed over to the local councils and be flogged in the synagogues. On my account you will be brought before governors and kings as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles. But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.
I recently saw a commercial advertising medicine that would lower risks for people who struggle with certain health conditions. As I watched this brief commercial, the thought suddenly came to mind about how medicine allows so many people to avoid the risk of “living in the red”. That phrase just stuck in my mind for a little bit as I thought about how so many of us take medications and are encouraged to live in certain ways to avoid living in the red danger zone. No one likes to live with dangerous health number levels. When we get blood tests, we want to see numbers in the normal range. We tend to cringe and realize needed lifestyle changes when we see high numbers.
As I considered this while watching the commercial and after for a while, I thought about how we so often do the same thing in our spiritual lives. While we definitely do not want to “live in the red” with our health, we honestly tend to also think this way with our spiritual lives. We tend to want to do everything possible to stay in the “normal” range and not leave our comfort zones. We know that Jesus calls us to live for Him and obey where He calls us to go, but we don’t want to get our hands dirty and live risky lives as He has called us to live.
Jesus NEVER called us to live comfortable lives. In a sense, He has definitely called us to “Living in the red”! He wants us to take risks and trust that He will be with us and bless us as we step out in faith for Him. He often calls us to leave our comfort zones and trust that He will guide us through difficult and trying situations.
Think of so many situations with people in Scripture where God called them to do amazing things for Him. I don’t think anyone did anything incredible without living in the red, getting out of their comfort zones. The great and powerful stories we read about in Scripture from Genesis to Revelation are people who took risks because they trusted God to lead. We all need to be more willing to do things God calls us to do that we are uncomfortable with. We all know and are probably cringing right now thinking of what we’ve been putting off that God is calling us to.
God has called us to a life of “living in the red”. He challenges us to grow in our faith and trust Him in all situations. I want to encourage all of us to think of what areas in our lives God is challenging us to leave our comfort zones and step out in faith. How does God want you and I to be bold in living in the red?
God never promised us an easy life! Even though we often want that, He never commanded that and never intended that by sending Jesus Christ to us. The journey of life we are all on is intended to be “living in the red”.
“Living In the Red”
Matthew 10:16-20 NIV
I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves. Be on your guard; you will be handed over to the local councils and be flogged in the synagogues. On my account you will be brought before governors and kings as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles. But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.
I recently saw a commercial advertising medicine that would lower risks for people who struggle with certain health conditions. As I watched this brief commercial, the thought suddenly came to mind about how medicine allows so many people to avoid the risk of “living in the red”. That phrase just stuck in my mind for a little bit as I thought about how so many of us take medications and are encouraged to live in certain ways to avoid living in the red danger zone. No one likes to live with dangerous health number levels. When we get blood tests, we want to see numbers in the normal range. We tend to cringe and realize needed lifestyle changes when we see high numbers.
As I considered this while watching the commercial and after for a while, I thought about how we so often do the same thing in our spiritual lives. While we definitely do not want to “live in the red” with our health, we honestly tend to also think this way with our spiritual lives. We tend to want to do everything possible to stay in the “normal” range and not leave our comfort zones. We know that Jesus calls us to live for Him and obey where He calls us to go, but we don’t want to get our hands dirty and live risky lives as He has called us to live.
Jesus NEVER called us to live comfortable lives. In a sense, He has definitely called us to “Living in the red”! He wants us to take risks and trust that He will be with us and bless us as we step out in faith for Him. He often calls us to leave our comfort zones and trust that He will guide us through difficult and trying situations.
Think of so many situations with people in Scripture where God called them to do amazing things for Him. I don’t think anyone did anything incredible without living in the red, getting out of their comfort zones. The great and powerful stories we read about in Scripture from Genesis to Revelation are people who took risks because they trusted God to lead. We all need to be more willing to do things God calls us to do that we are uncomfortable with. We all know and are probably cringing right now thinking of what we’ve been putting off that God is calling us to.
God has called us to a life of “living in the red”. He challenges us to grow in our faith and trust Him in all situations. I want to encourage all of us to think of what areas in our lives God is challenging us to leave our comfort zones and step out in faith. How does God want you and I to be bold in living in the red?
God never promised us an easy life! Even though we often want that, He never commanded that and never intended that by sending Jesus Christ to us. The journey of life we are all on is intended to be “living in the red”.
