Jeremiah 9:23–24, ESV
Romans 9:20–21, ESV
Radical by David Platt
I’ve read Radical before.
David Platt wrote an absolutely incredible book that has challenged my view of the gospel and the way I want to live my life.
(I read it over a long weekend last March. I couldn’t put it down.)
But I’m reading it again.
Sure, reading a book a second time isn’t necessarily a big deal. I’m not going to say that I’m one of those one-and-done people — simply because I’m not. I enjoy re-reading books.
That being said, I’m at a crossroads. And THAT is why I’m re-reading Radical — not merely for enjoyment.
In three months, I’ll graduate from Michigan State University. On Friday, May 4, 2012, I will hear my name, walk across a stage, receive a blank sheet of paper symbolizing a diploma, shake a few hands, wave to my family, and then _____.
I don’t know what I’ll do after graduation. The possibilities seem endless. Quite frankly, that’s both freeing and terrifying.
I want to figure out NOW how to obey the radical call of Jesus. The cost of discipleship is much lower now (as a single, career-less 21-year-old without many material possessions) than it will be in the future.
For those of you who haven’t read Radical, I wouldn’t suggest doing so unless you’re serious about wanting to acknowledge and respond to the claims of Jesus Christ. Here’s a taste:
I could not help but think that somewhere along the way we had missed what is radical about our faith and replaced it with what is comfortable. We were settling for a Christianity that revolves around catering to ourselves when the central message of Christianity is actually about abandoning ourselves. (p. 7)
He was simply and boldly making it clear from the start that if you follow him, you abandon everything—your needs, your desires, even your family. (p. 10)
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…. We are molding Jesus into our image. He is beginning to look a lot like us because, after all, that is whom we are most comfortable with. And the danger now is that when we gather in our church buildings to sing and lift up our hands in worship, we may not actually be worshiping the Jesus of the Bible. Instead, we may be worshiping ourselves. (p. 13)
The gospel does not prompt you to mere reflection, the gospel requires a response. In the process of hearing Jesus, you are compelled to take an honest look at your life, your family, and your church and not just ask, “What is he saying?” but also ask, “What shall I do?” (pp. 20–21)
I’m so small, but I serve the Infinite One.
That was the theme of Real Life’s women’s night on Friday. (Pachel and I made an appearance — though it was regrettably short due to wisdom teeth extraction that morning — and it has been my only outing since the oral surgery.)
I figured “Worthy?” would make a fitting title because lying on a couch for the past four days has forced me to acknowledge the extent to which I find my worth in what I do, what I produce, what I accomplish.
Let’s face it.
Painkillers + Naps + 30 Rock ≠ Productivity.
Sigh.
I set standards and expectations for myself. And that’s the worst part — I set them. They’re self-imposed.
God’s requirements involve character and intimacy with Him.
He has told you, O man, what is good;
and what does the LORD require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness,
and to walk humbly with your God?(Micah 6:8, ESV)
I’m sick of putting so much pressure on myself.
I am more than what I do.
“All You Need Is Love.”
“God is love.”
“Love wins.”
I’ve heard so many songs and participated in so many conversations and read so many articles and listened to so many rants about love being the solution to some of the world’s most obvious problems — hate crimes, segregation, genocide, etc.
Seems like a good theory. After all, Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 13:13, “So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.”
I get it. Love is a really big deal. No argument there.
But the call for love is being made in the context of a society moving toward moral relativism.
If we can’t agree on love’s definition, how can we expect it to spark change?
Love never gives up.
Love cares more for others than for self.
Love doesn’t want what it doesn’t have.
Love doesn’t strut,
Doesn’t have a swelled head,
Doesn’t force itself on others,
Isn’t always “me first,”
Doesn’t fly off the handle,
Doesn’t keep score of the sins of others,
Doesn’t revel when others grovel,
Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth,
Puts up with anything,
Trusts God always,
Always looks for the best,
Never looks back,
But keeps going to the end.(from 1 Corinthians 13, The Message)
Truth is an essential ingredient of love. In order for love to create unity among people, they must agree on what that truth comprises.
If my definition of love isn’t the same as yours, you might not believe that my actions qualify as love. And what good does that do?
I’d argue none.
This morning, while driving to work, I cried for someone. Not about someone — for someone.
I’m not accustomed to feeling so deeply the pain of others. But the ugliness of the situation and the pain of my friend resulted in seemingly inevitable tears.
If that’s not evidence of the Lord working in my life, I don’t know what is. Those involved in Ball State Cru might say that God is “flipping trucks.”
Regardless of the expression chosen, tears are a barometer of growth in my life.
And I’m beginning to be OK with that.
I don’t know how to put words to what I’m feeling.
Throughout the course of the past 24 hours, God has made His presence blatant.
I ended up in Habakkuk earlier this week, and these words have stuck with me ever since.
Look among the nations, and see;
wonder and be astounded.
For I am doing a work in your days
that you would not believe if told.
(Habakkuk 1:5, ESV)
Praise Him. Praise Him. Praise Him.
He’s making me new, which is pretty spectacular, considering how disgusted I am by the old.
John Piper, Passion 2012
(Source: live.268generation.com)
Technically, it’s Saturday. But it’s late Friday night in my mind. And for the first time in a long time, I feel as though I have something to write.
I talked to Holly on Thursday (which feels like yesterday) night. She told me she wants to excel at writing. So it seems only fitting for my delayed response to our conversation to take the form of written word.
Most people like roller coasters. I like roller coasters. As much as I dread the nervous anticipation as the carts climbs to the top, I crave the feeling of my stomach dropping — or plummeting, depending on the ride and the amount of food I’ve ingested.
But my life bears no resemblance to a roller coaster. Holly’s does. She would tell you in a heartbeat that her life comprises constant highs and lows. (You know that universal hand motion for someone being an emotional roller coaster? Yeah. I did that while talking to her.)
She longs for consistency, balance, stability.
I have consistency, balance, stability. And frankly, an even keel isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. (For the sake of the cliché, I allowed two “to be” verbs in that sentence.)
Don’t get me wrong — I believe the Lord wired me this way for a reason. And quite honestly, I spend most of my time thanking God for my unusually flatlined emotions.
Most.
Tonight, though, the other side looks quite green.
In a text message a few hours ago, Rachel asked, “Why do I care so freaking much?!” She’s a feeler like Holly. But that’s not me. (According to Myers-Briggs, I’m an off-the-charts thinker. No argument from me there.) I tend to fall into apathy, not whatever you’d call Rachel’s or Holly’s predicament.
I want to experience highs and lows — high highs and low lows. (OK, not really about the low lows, but I know it’s a two-for-one deal.) Very few people, ideas, causes, experiences, actions incite strong, sustained emotion deep within me. (Although I’ve recently had the unfortunate opportunity to learn that death can be an exception to this rule.)
Sure, stability has its perks, but if you have the capacity to feel deeply and experience a full spectrum of emotions, please don’t take it for granted.
Ground yourself in Christ, but for the love of Millenium Force, LIVE IN FREEDOM.
