Care Instructions for a Life Worth Living

The Adventure of a Lifetime

For many years sporting enthusiasts had a limited number of options. We all knew them: baseball, soccer, football, basketball, golf, hockey, tennis, and a handful of other games that most people recognized and understood. These sports were not dangerous (unless the rules were broken). Then, in the 1980s and 1990s things began to change. A whole new generation of sports began to emerge. Out of the labor pains of a generation looking for a bigger rush and greater risks, birth was given to a class of sports that have been classified as “extreme.” “What would happen if I tied a bungee cord to my ankles and jumped off a bridge?” “Could I strap a snowboard to my feet, launch off a jump, do two flips, and still land without breaking my neck?” “Is it possible to take a motorcycle off a jump, slide off the seat, let the bike get so far ahead of me that it seems I am flying like Superman, grab the seat at the last moment, pull the motorcycle back to me, and get back on the seat before it lands?”

All such questions, and countless more, have been answered by a generation looking for a new thrill and a greater sporting high. From body numbing triathlons to snowboard skydiving to extreme ice climbing, the human spirit and body have been pushed to the outer limits.

What is it in us that longs for a higher mountain to climb and an infusion of new adventure in our lives? God created us with a need to live by faith. He wants us to enter a journey of faith that will make our hearts beat fast with excitement and anticipation. Stepping out in faith, taking risks, experiencing the excitement of new things — these are all part of God’s plan for his followers.

Anyone who thinks the Christian life is boring has never read the history of Israel. God called his people to places they never dreamed they could go. He gave them assignments that could never be accomplished without his miraculous power breaking in. The history of Israel is a series of faith stories that will inspire, encourage, and teach us as we learn to step out in faith.

As the history of Israel unfolds, we see example after example of people who have gone before us and learned about stepping out in faith. We look over the shoulders of key biblical figures and learn from their experiences.

• We watch Joshua lead the people as they cross the swollen Jordan River, and we learn to take the first step of faith even when it might not make sense.
• The judges model both good and bad examples of following God, and they show us what we should do and what we should not do if we want to walk by faith.
• Samuel learns to listen to God, and we discover that hearing and obeying God’s voice are part of his plan for all of his followers.
• Saul lacks confidence to live by faith, but his mistakes help us avoid pitfalls on our journey.
• Finally, our courage grows as we discover that Jesus is revealed throughout the Old Testament and that he is leading and guiding his people on the greatest adventure of all.

Followers of Christ might enjoy engaging in many sports, including some extreme ones, but we have a greater rush than any sport can offer. God invites us on an adventure of following him, step by step, on the most amazing journey of faith ever imagined. 

Ask God to help you enter a new level of commitment to follow him on the adventure of a lifetime.