Playing It Safe

Matthew 25:18

But he that had received one went and digged in the earth, and hid his lord's money.

There were three men mentioned in the parable of the talents. All these men were given something from their lord to care for while he was gone. Two of those men took their talents and invested them, doubling their investment. However, one man took the talent that was given him and dug a hole in the earth and hit it so that his lord's money would be safe.

The two men who took the money and invested it were found to be faithful and were given more at the end. However, the one man who played it safe found that the lord was not pleased with his action and was, in essence, fired from his job. It is interesting to know that the two men who were commended did not play it safe when it came to what was given to them, but they risked what was given to them, and it turned out to be a great investment. It is the one who played it safe that was found to be a failure at the end, while the other two were commended.

There are two types of people in life. There are those who seem to risk too much, and there are those who play it safe. Those who risk much are those who achieve more in life than those who play it safe. Now don't get me wrong, we must be careful and use wisely those things that God gives to us in life, but God does not give us our life, finances, and ministries just to play it safe. There is something about those who are willing to risk everything that seems to, in the end, end up at the top of life. Let me share some principles about not playing it safe.

First, there is no faith in playing it safe. Faith is risking everything. When you look throughout the Scriptures, you will find that those God used the greatest were those who risked everything, but they all experienced the greatest rewards. It was David who risked his life to fight Goliath and won when others played it safe. It was Noah who risked everything to build the ark while everyone else played it safe, but it was Noah who made it through the flood while those who played it safe died. It was Abraham who risked it all to leave everything that God blessed and made of him the father of Israel. Nobody has played it safe and been used greatly by God because there is no faith in playing it safe.

Second, you will likely lose much when you don't play it safe. Those who risked everything likely found loss at some point in their life, but the fact that they played it safe means that their character would cause them to be willing to continue working to take the loss and turn it into a profit. When you risk everything, you will experience loss, but the character to risk everything will cause you to keep going until your loss is turned into gain. Whether it be ministry or life, the faith to risk everything will always be rewarded.

Third, it is how much you risk by faith that determines how much God can use you. When you draw a line and say, “I will no longer risk this,” that is the line that God will stop using you. My friend, life is filled with risks, but you will never go beyond what you are unwilling to risk. The young person who is not willing to take the risk on marriage will never get married. The Christian who is unwilling to take the risk in succeeding at a ministry will never succeed in the ministry. Stop trying to play it safe in life, risk it all, and step out by faith and trust God to help you to turn that risk into significant gain for Christ.