A Dangerous Man – Part 3

Sweating in the dark, he felt the pressure increasing as the minutes passed slowly. His skin began to crawl while the air grew stale and foul. The creaking and banging of the metal hull around him was as loud as his desperation…

Ok, maybe my imagination used to get the best of me, for I wasn’t describing a character from Das Boot—the submarine-based war movie—rather just one of my errant high school risk maneuvers. Often, because of those so called risks, I was obliged to feel just like a freshly canned sardinella aurita, or as it is commonly known, a Spanish sardine. I’m not sure how to say “school locker” in Latin, but I can tell you from experience, that the view from inside one is probably not much different from the cramped interior of a German U-boat. I spent so much time inside my metallic closet that it was becoming the closest thing to a time-share way before the concept was even thought of.

What sort of adventure would occasionally land me securely placed inside one of these small storage units? Well, it sure had nothing to do with silent running, for my acoustic signature left me very much exposed to the depth charges of those larger than myself. Not blessed with size, I depended on my verbal skills to help me navigate the often treacherous waters of high school. The problem was that, along with this ability to out talk others (i.e. put down), I had huge chips on both shoulders. So, with a mouth the size of a giant and an ego to match, I would daily challenge the largest land animal to roam high school hallways…the football player, to a contest of words, (basically, I would make fun of them). I was not satisfied with a snappy comment or two, I would let forth with a soliloquy of put downs and insults that reduced my rather large opponent’s ego to that of a small rodent scurrying in the underbrush. The hitch was that in high school, I happen to be a very un-giant size of 5’, 10”, and weighed only 135 lbs. Which meant that as soon as the last word was spoken (by me) the accommodations of the nearest locker would be mine, even without a reservation. Quite simply, the words I spoke, my modus operandi put me at risk. My approach at that time was so much different than our Lord’s.

When Jesus taught the disciples about living dangerously he had a totally unusual modus operandi. His risk taking was in the way He lived through the way He loved, He “went around doing good”.

“How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him”. Acts 10:38

Oh, I know the Lord verbally took apart some Pharisees, but in all He spoke, it was meant to bring change and life. He loved dangerously, just like His Father, who is the biggest risk taker of them all. The Father created us with the right to choose something other than Him to serve. The refusal gene was a dangerous thing to give us, it meant mankind could dispute the Godhead’s very existence and ultimately reject God’s design on all levels of human endeavors. Thankfully, He continued taking chances and sent His son into the world. Jesus risked rejection and kept on doing good, in all His dangerous loving, He displayed no fear of disease, of demons, or of men. In the face of rejection, opposition, and desertion, He pressed on, such is His love for us. So the question remains, “what is the MO of a dangerous man?” Here are some thoughts:

1. He needs to be willing.
“And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.” Mark 8:34

2. He must lose his life, in order to save it.
“For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it.” Mark 8:35

3. He must realize that Jesus has a different profit sharing plan.
“For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul”? Mark 8:36

3. He must become a fan of feet.
“Know ye what I have done to you? Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you.” John 13:12-15

4. He must realize that rejection, is a good thing.
“Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.” Matthew 5:11

I believe that these few points speak of having the heart of a servant, the very thing the Father is calling for His church to embrace. For the servant’s heart is a dangerous heart, for it moves beyond comfort and acts on the behalf of others. Honestly, I get anxious when I think about it, but then I realize that I must dive in the torrent of the Father’s will. I must let the rapids carry me over the rocks and let them strip away all that is not of Him. I need to set my face as the Lord did and not let what the world can throw at me, deter me from becoming like my Master. As with the disciples, Jesus is calling me to follow him, to leave familiar, comfortable “places” and risk by loving as passionately as He does.

Blessings,
Jay

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© 2008 Jay Cookingham - All rights reserved.
Jay Cookingham recently published two articles for the God's Way series. You can visit his home page at http://Jaycookingham.com

This column is used with permission.