TAKING RISKS FOR GOD

I am in Dubai for several days meeting with a group of people who serve International Churches in a variety of countries. I look forward to hearing some great speakers and some great stories of international leadership experiences. God is doing amazing things in our world but often it involves his people taking faith-risk steps. I think I will hear about a few while I am here.

I just finished re-reading the story of Esther while I was travelling here. What an amazing faith-risk step she took - laying her life on the line, wondering if her husband, the absolute monarch would welcome her with a smile, or send her off to be executed.
Her older cousin Mordecai who challenges her to risk her life, speaks immortal words "And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?" And she responds with her wonderful faith-risk words "I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish." She was ready to lose her privileged position - and her life. Because of her willingness to risk, God saved the lives of thousands of Jews through her.
Faith-risk steps - some are small, some are huge. But all of us are expected to take them. Most of you know that it was less than a year ago that Jan and I agreed to take our latest faith-risk step and move to Vietnam. We still are not clear what God is going to do here, through us, but we are glad we took the step.
I received an email this week from my niece with wonderful news. She and her husband are middle aged, with two children in college. Six months ago they began to feel God wanted them to take a large faith-risk step. In obedience they have just announced they are in the process of adopting a six year old girl who desperately needs to be nurtured by two loving adoptive parents. To do adopt at any age is a risk. But to do so when your own two are young adults? When you are both past the half way mark in life? That is a good sized faith-risk step.
Are you open to taking faith-risk steps? I wonder what God has in store for you in the months ahead? Will you be positioned so that at the right time, in the right place, you will be the right person to take a small/large/huge faith-risk step. Frightening but oh, so exhilarating and rewarding!
By the way, many of you know we have been "waiting". I just received news via email that our third grandchild Amara was born, two weeks overdue, via C section yesterday (or maybe today - I am not sure of the time zone difference.) Jan was there in NYC to be with Jeannie and our son-in-law Chris for this big event.