“When I say life is too short to play it safe all the time, . . . it’s really about making life an adventuresome partnership with God.”- John Ortberg
In Chapter 12 (“Roll the Dice”) of When the Game is Over, John Ortberg weighs in on what he considers the most dangerous household object. The answer, as only John phrases it: “It’s a back-reclining, deeply cushioned, foot-resting little death trap called an easy chair (usually spelled EZ because using only two letters takes less effort).”
Therefore, while sitting in that chair, John asks, do you feel ready to spring into action? Do you feel poised for – and expectant of- an explosion of growth and development? When God asks you to do a difficult task, will you likely answer yes? As Pastor Ortberg exhorts, God created you for more than life in an EZ chair.
As a result, your life needs challenge and risk. In other words, an adventuresome partnership with God. Also, John observes, in the Bible we find numerous “call narratives.” The author defines these narratives as “accounts of God ‘calling’ ordinary people to do specific assignments.”
Most noteworthy, scholars have identified a consistent pattern to the call narratives. Thus, Pastor Ortberg talks about five such patterns. Today John presents the first pattern.
1. Initial call. In the initial call, God summons you to serve Him. However, God rarely interrupts a biblical person’s life to ask him or her to do an easy task. As Pastor Ortberg explains, God places a relatively low value on making sure His followers lead comfortable lives. John writes:
“It seems that God wants to use us, wants to grow us up, wants us to be strong and wise and courageous. He doesn’t appear to be terribly interested in making sure we’re comfortable. He would not make a good flight attendant.”
Today’s question: Do you feel poised for an adventuresome partnership with God? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “An initial response of resistance”
