“God forbid that I should do this!” he said. “Should I drink the blood of these men who went at the risk of their lives?” Because they risked their lives to bring it back, David would not drink it. Such were the exploits of the three mighty warriors.
- 1 Chronicles 11:19
Ship your grain across the sea;
after many days you may receive a return.
Invest in seven ventures, yes, in eight;
you do not know what disaster may come upon the land.
- Ecclesiastes 11:1-2
We get our bread at the risk of our lives because of the sword in the desert.
- Lamentations 5:9
Greet Priscilla and Aquila, my co-workers in Christ Jesus. They risked their lives for me. Not only I but all the churches of the Gentiles are grateful to them.
- Romans 16:3-4
In my travels to visit the grandchildren, and deliver coats and fluffy socks, I noticed that their video games have changed. They discovered a game based on house flipping. My son is learning the basics of what is involved in flipping a house. My granddaughter is expressing her artistic flair in making the rooms spectacular. And the youngest just likes breaking out walls. (A sweet kid who talks far too much – I will hear the echoes for a month or more – nope that is him still talking.) There older brother used to play a video game involving farming, but now he just kills Vikings. The youngest destroys. The oldest kills Vikings. But at least it is not all anger issues. Some progress in that department, but it is slow progress.
But the youngest saw a board game, Risk. We played it one night, and the youngest rooted for mass destruction every time someone grabbed the dice. Of course, with no discernable strategy, or is it strategery? And now that I am down a different rabbit hole, is it not odd that an SNL sketch about a former president has most of the world thinking that the president said the word, when it was really an actor making fun of the president – AND – the word is not considered misspelled?!
Okay, the two youngest, with a lack of strategy, wiped themselves out quickly. Okay, the granddaughter made a slight comeback. I followed suit just to kill myself off so I could go to bed. When my son realized my reason for my change in strategy (besides, how many times can you roll dice and only get ones and twos!), he thought it was time to box up the game and go to bed. The Viking Killer and my son were dominating and that fight may have taken all night.
But the game is called Risk because to win the game you have to carefully know when to take a risk and when not to.
The Scriptures above speak of risks taken. David’s mighty warriors took risks, having faith in God. Solomon suggests that it is good to make ventures. If you stand firm on past accomplishments, you may have no reserves when hard times hit the next time. Jeremiah laments that the desert is dangerous, but we must take risks to obtain bread. But the references to risks in the New Testament are that Christians were being persecuted, and it was by great risk that the messengers were traveling to and from the Apostle Paul to provide messages, supplies, and spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Have you ever noticed that the church growth in the world that is the strongest is in countries where the persecution is more severe?
The idea of safe spaces, or places, is a secular concept to have everyone complacent, content, and weak. Sure, they hear no other idea except for people who agree with them, but that is not education, it is brainwashing. It makes them easy to manipulate.
But when the Holy Spirit stirs up a fire within people, the Gospel can grow. No power on earth is safe from the Holy Spirit. And through fire and resistance we grow in faith, and the church grows also. We must be willing to take the risk.
Soli Deo Gloria. Only to God be the Glory.
Thoughts from Mark "Hat" Rackley 
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