Take a moment to read 2 Corinthians 11:16-33 before reading the devotional below.
If you have never read the book of Acts, I would encourage you to read it. (You can search by category in the right-hand margin and pull up our series on Acts as well.) Paul refers to a story we can read about in Acts 9:22-27 shortly after he started preaching that Jesus was the Messiah (a savior long awaited by the Jews). He is referred to as Saul, the name he was known by until he encountered Jesus supernaturally. He was in the business of killing Christians until he got knocked off his horse and given a new assignment.
If you have read about Paul’s life, then you understand his writing in today’s passage. The guy has been through a lot. He risked his life more times than most of us have done for the cause of Jesus. In fact, it might seem a bit nonsensical. Why would he risk his whole life? At some point, wouldn’t it make sense to back off a little? Death threats are pretty serious business.
Here’s your freedom for today:
Life with Jesus is worth the risk.
Sometimes, I think our spiritual lives in America don’t involve enough risk. We hear “Christians” complain of being “persecuted” when people make a big deal about saying “Merry Christmas” or something else. Please. Paul almost died for the sake of the Gospel repeatedly. Would those of us sitting on a comfy couch, reading our feel-good devotionals, actually be willing to live a faith like that? What risks is God daring you to take today? What limits could you push past to dive into a supernatural kind of life? How can you make your life more about Jesus and less about your own comfort?