Thursday, May 3, 2012

Radical

I started reading "Radical" by David Platt....as if Francis Chan wasn't inspiring enough!!!  Oh my word...I am only done with the first chapter and he is just cracking me up!  Everything he is saying God is also showing me simultaneously! 

Here is the part that made me "LOL" because it is so stinking true!

He was speaking about when Jesus asked His followers to follow Him and not even say good-bye to their families.   What about now???  What if Jesus asked you now to give up EVERYTHING and follow him?

So we say things like this:

"Jesus didn't literally mean to sell all we have and give it to the poor...right????" 

"What He really meant was......"

 "And this is where we begin to start redefining Christianity.  We are giving in to the dangerous temptation to take the Jesus of the Bible and twist Him into a version of Jesus we are more comfortable with.

A nice, middle-class American Jesus."   (Funny huh?)

 Seriously....haven't we just made excuses on top of excuses to rationalize our own selfish behavior. 


  • We "deserve" nice things.
  • Our kids need to be have things be "all about them."
  • I give and serve but not until it hurts!
  • Why should we take care of people in other countries....we need to take care of "our own".
In Mark 10:21 it says,
21 And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” 

What David Platt explains is that Jesus is not trying to take EVERYTHING away from us to strip away all man's pleasure.  Instead He is offering us to not only help the poor but He is giving us an eternal treasure!

So it's up to us to decide.  Is it more important to have everything during our short time on earth or would it be a better investment to have a love for others in need and give EVERYTHING you have to help them survive and know Jesus.




Heavenly Father....please help me remember daily that our life on this earth is not about us but it's that you gave us this life to Glorify Your Kingdom.  Please allow me to have the strength to give up anything that is stopping me from helping others know you.  Amen

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