Years ago, there was a shooting close to my local Walmart. For a few hours, it was thought that there was an "active shooter" in the area. As I was paying for my groceries, the cashier said to me, "Be SAFE out there!" I certainly did not FEEL safe walking out to my car.

How often do we make decisions based on feeling safe or feeling unsafe? Consider what makes you FEEL SAFE. Having enough money makes me feel safe. Many years ago, we went through a financially difficult time, and we did not have enough money for all our needs. That created stress and anxiety. Being in control also makes me feel safe. When our children were learning how to drive, they were in control of the car (not me), and at times I did not feel safe.
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Have you ever considered that keeping the Gospel to ourselves makes us FEEL SAFE? Sharing our faith with others often requires stepping out of our comfort zone (a place of safety). After Jesus' death, the Christians stayed together in Jerusalem. No doubt, there was a feeling of safety in numbers, but the Great Commission was "Go!"

Consider men and women who stepped out of their comfort zones. Abraham left his country, not knowing where God would lead him. Moses led over a million Israelite slaves out of Egypt. Noah built an enormous ark. Esther went to see the king without being summoned. They risked much but saved many.

For many, Christianity consists of reading the Bible, praying, and attending worship services. There seems to be little risk or courage required. However, God needs people who will step out of their comfort zones and share the Gospel. "If we expect great things from God, we must attempt great things for God" (William Carey).

​With God's help, we can "be strong and of good courage, and DO IT!"

​When reading the story of Corrie ten Boom, who hid Jews from the Nazis, I find myself thinking: "If only she hadn't opened the door to the man who betrayed her, she would not have been arrested. She could have stayed in her home, safe with her family." Perhaps I have been looking at this story with earthly eyes. What if Corrie's arrest and imprisonment were God's plan all along? God needed missionaries to go to the Ravensbrück  concentration camp and share the Gospel with the many women who were facing certain death.

Although the cost was high (Corrie's father, sister, brother, and nephew died), Corrie's prayer was: "Lord Jesus, I offer myself for Your people. In any way. Any place. Any time." She had "set" her "affection on things above."

When suffering, trials, afflictions, and persecution come our way, James 1:2 tells us to "Count it all joy." This is difficult when we have an earthly mindset, but when our eyes are "set . . . on things above," we learn that trials and joy are not incompatible. Third John 1:4 tells us the greatest joy is "to hear that my children walk in truth." While we do not enjoy the suffering, we can find great joy when God uses it for His glory!

The danger is in becoming too attached to the "things on the earth." "When we focus on earthly things, our eyes slip from the 'things above'" (L. Hoover). When that happens, we need to refocus and "set" (an action word) our mind on "things above." This will require laying down things, plans, ideas, and opinions that are not part of God's plan and submit to His plans and ideas. When we do this, the songwriter tells us that "the things of earth will grow strangely dim."