Paul’s relentless journey into danger is described in Acts chapter 21. He knew that he faced imprisonment and death, but that did not deter him. Danger was nothing new to him; everywhere he went he faced danger. In fact, Erwin McManus has suggested that the places Paul visited were probably safe before Paul got there, and possibly safe after he left, and yet Paul brought danger with him, because he was not afraid to create conflict by speaking about the good news.
Most people look for ways to minimise the risks and dangers in their lives. We have safety devices and climate control gadgets and drugs to keep us healthy and happy which enable us to live in a virtual world where our lives and minds are protected from every conceivable danger or source of discomfort. Just in case something bad does happen, we have insurance to cover the financial risks associated with almost any bad event.
Are we missing out on something in our quest for safety and risk minimisation? If you’re not risking anything, are you really living at all? If you live in a risk-free house and go each day to a risk-free job and earn a risk-free income, when you get to the end of your life what will you have achieved? It is the people who choose to live life on the edge that God uses and who achieve amazing things in their lives. People who stay safely in the shadows end up living their lives on the sidelines.