Blog | Warriors For Life

Good morning my RP Family. It is finally cooling off here in Waco, TX. I may take a risk and try to mow my lawn today. Notice I said may. LOL I have taken many risks in my life, as have many of you. The biggest risk, with the biggest reward for me has been my commitment to serve my Lord and Savior, who took the greatest risk for me, in wiping away the risk of eternal life for us all. As it says in Philippians 1:21 For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. I personally see no risk in that because I know that I have eternal life in Christ Jesus. But as the following article in Desiring God points out, we are expected to continually take temporal risks. Are you going to be that risk taker with me? I pray that you do. Have a blessed day today and always.

Taken from desiringgod.org

A Call for Christian Risk
Article by John Piper
Founder & Teacher, desiringGod.org
By removing eternal risk, Christ calls his people to continual temporal risk.

For the followers of Jesus the final risk is gone. "There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus" (Romans 8:1). "Neither death nor life . . . will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 3:38-39). "Some of you they will put to death. . . . But not a hair of your head will perish" (Luke 21:16, 18). "Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live" (John 11:25).

When the threat of death becomes a door to paradise the final barrier to temporal risk is broken. When a Christian says from the heart, "To live is Christ and to die is gain," he is free to love no matter what. Some forms of radical Islam may entice martyr-murderers with similar dreams, but Christian hope is the power to love, not kill. Christian hope produces life-givers, not life-takers. The crucified Christ calls his people to live and die for their enemies, as he did. The only risks permitted by Christ are the perils of love. "Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you" (Luke 6:27-28).

With staggering promises of everlasting joy, Jesus unleashed a movement of radical, loving risk-takers. "You will be delivered up even by parents . . . and some of you they will put to death" (Luke 21:16). Only some. Which means it might be you and it might not. That's what risk means. It is not risky to shoot yourself in the head. The outcome is certain. It is risky to serve Christ in a war zone. You might get shot. You might not.

Christ calls us to take risks for kingdom purposes. Almost every message of American consumerism says the opposite: Maximize comfort and security - now, not in heaven. Christ does not join that chorus. To every timid saint, wavering on the edge of some dangerous gospel venture, he says, "Fear not, you can only be killed" (Luke 12:4). Yes, by all means maximize your joy! How? For the sake of love, risk being reviled and persecuted and lied about, "for your reward is great in heaven" (Matthew 5:11-12).

There is a great biblical legacy of loving risk-takers. Joab, facing the Syrians on one side and the Ammonites on the other, said to his brother Abishai, "Let us be courageous for our people . . . and may the LORD do what seems good to him" (2 Samuel 10:12). Esther broke the royal law to save her people and said, "If I perish, I perish" (Esther 4:16). Shadrach and his comrades refused to bow down to the king's idol and said, "Our God whom we serve is able to deliver us . . . But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods" (Daniel 3:16-18). And when the Holy Spirit told Paul that in every city imprisonment and afflictions await him, he said, "I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course" (Acts 20:24).

"Every Christian," said Stephen Neil about the early church, "knew that sooner or later he might have to testify to his faith at the cost of his life" (A History of Christian Missions, Penguin, 1964, p. 43). This was normal. To become a Christian was to risk your life. Tens of thousands did it. Why? Because to do it was to gain Christ, and not to was to lose your soul. "Whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it" (Matthew 16:25).

In America and around the world the price of being a real Christian is rising. Things are getting back to normal in "this present evil age." Increasingly 2 Timothy 3:12 will make sense: "All who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted." Those who've made gospel-risk a voluntary life-style will be most ready when we have no choice. Therefore I urge you, in the words of the early church, "Let us go to him outside the camp and bear the reproach he endured. For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come" (Hebrews 13:13-14).

When God removed all risk above
He loosed a thousand risks of love.

Pastor John

John Piper (@JohnPiper) is founder and teacher of desiringGod.org and chancellor of Bethlehem College & Seminary. For 33 years, he served as pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church, Minneapolis, Minnesota. He is author of more than 50 books, including Desiring God: Meditations of a Christian Hedonist and most recently Why I Love the Apostle Paul: 30 Reasons.



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Good R.E.D. Friday COL Mikel J. Burroughs and there are many calculated risks in one's life, so this is an excellent Topic, my friend!

<<<<<---------- "Calculated Risk Day!" ---------->>>>>

I have taken many calculated risks in my lifetime...many have worked out successfully, others not so much! I wonder what additional quotes by others will reveal!

1) "The difference between a calculated risk and rolling the dice can be expressed in one word: homework." - Georgette Mosbacher

2) "As an adventurer...I try to protect against the downside. I make sure I have covered as many eventualities as I can. In the end, you have to take calculated risks; otherwise you're going to sit in mothballs all day and do nothing." - Richard Branson

3) "There is a thin line between peace of the brave and peace of the hostage... between compromise - even calculated risk - and irresponsibility and capitulation." - Ehud Barak

4) "Some people like to live without too much risk. They're satisfied leading a safe existence. This attitude of caution infiltrates into their goals. Every successful athlete - or businessperson - enjoys taking calculated risks. You have to. Especially in the gym when you're squatting 500 for reps and you can't get one more but grunt out ten. Your nose starts bleeding, you fall into the rack and that's set one." - Tom Platz

"Leaders will need to take calculated risks. It will take courage and close evaluation of all the possible factors surrounding that determined risk before moving forward!" — COL (Ret) Mikel Burroughs



Maj William W. 'Bill' Price Maj Marty Hogan Lt Col Charlie Brown SSG Byron Howard Sr LTC Stephen F. Col Carl Whicker Maj Robert Thornton CWO3 Dennis M. LTC Wayne Brandon Sgt Deborah Cornatzer PO3 Bob McCord CW5 Jack Cardwell TSgt Joe C. SFC Stephen Lucas SMSgt Lawrence McCarter Lt Col John (Jack) Christensen MSgt Robert "Rock" Aldi SrA Marianne Santangelo Col (Join to see)

When dealing with other's lives, it is our responsibility and our duty to measure risk and evaluate conditions when faced with making decisions to accomplish our mission and keep our people safe. A part of my job I took very seriously. Therefore training was paramount in order that we could draw on their abilities to mitigate risks. Good morning Rally Point and may we remember all who are deployed today!!!