Taking Risks - Steps of Faith

Over the last few years the Charity Commission in England and Wales has emphasised the importance for charity trustees to carry out a proper risk assessment for their organisations. This is to ensure good governance and preparedness for possible difficulties. We also live at a time when Health and Safety Regulations also encourage awareness of risks in the workplace, and even on such activities as holidays for young people.

Today, Lewis Hamilton was involved in time trials for position on the starting grid for the F1 race at Sao Paulo. He must finish within the first five in the subsequent race if he is to win the championship but this is a highly competitive race and he will have to balance any desire to win the race against gaining the championship. One corner taken too fast or one badly timed move to overtake any of the cars that are starting in the three places ahead could prove very costly. It's all about risk management.

Then there's the Twenty20 cricket match in the Caribbean where, in the hope of winning one million pounds risks are being taken with historic test cricket. Not to mention the risks involved in the match when the prize of one million pounds for each member of the winning team is put at risk with every ball bowled or fielded, and every stroke of the bat.

Some might say that taking steps of faith is also risky. After all walking is about losing your balance if you are ever to take a forward step. For many Christians during the last 24 hours their very survival would be a matter of taking a step of faith. The only difference between taking steps of faith and running risks is that, for a Christian, faith is based upon the character and promise of God, whereas risks depend upon human skill and chance.

I guess that most of us take some risk almost every day. You would think that since , by contrast, taking steps of faith based on God's Word is utterly reliable, more people would be willing to do that.