Would you describe yourself as a radical? If your answer is a confident "yes," then I believe that you are on the right track of following Jesus. If your answer is "no," then I wonder why not? What is keeping you from being a radical, as Jesus was?
Does your life look different than the values of this world? Ask yourself that question. No, I mean stop everything you are doing and ask yourself that question. Do a nice, honest assessment of your lifestyle and values. That question should haunt all of us. Where do you live? How do you spend your time? How do you spend money? Where is your treasure stored, because there your heart will be?
Henri Nouwen wrote, "We will never come to know our true vocation in life unless we are willing to grapple with the radical claim the gospel places on us. During the past twenty centuries many Christians have heard this radical call and have responded in true obedience..." Sadly, though, many Christians, especially in modern America, have not responded in obedience to that radical call. We've settled for comfort. We've settled for accumulating as much wealth as we can. We've settled for bigger houses, and nicer cars, and more stuff. We've settled for the latest technological gadgets. We've settled for moving more money into our retirement accounts. We've placed America's economy over God's economy. Seriously, crack open a Bible and see what I'm talking about. Our lifestyles should be different than the world's. Radically different, because Jesus calls us all to be radicals. So... are you a radical?
4 comments:
I just bought the book Radical by David Platt....can't wait to read it! Actually...I'm a little scared to read it, but it'll be good...real good!
I'll have to check that book out. Thanks!
From Tim: Here is a prayer by Sir Francis Drake. An oldey, but a goody... Fits your idea I think:
Disturb us, Lord, when
We are too pleased with ourselves,
When our dreams have come true
Because we dreamed too little,
When we arrived safely
Because we sailed too close to the shore.
Disturb us, Lord, when
with the abundance of things we possess
We have lost our thirst
For the waters of life;
Having fallen in love with life,
We have ceased to dream of eternity
And in our efforts to build a new earth,
We have allowed our vision
Of the new Heaven to dim.
Disturb us, Lord, to dare more boldly,
To venture on wilder seas
Where storms will show Your mastery;
Where losing sight of land,
We shall find the stars.
We ask you to push back
The horizons of our hopes;
And to push back the future
In strength, courage, hope, and love.
This we ask in the name of our Captain,
Who is Jesus Christ.
Sir Francis Drake
Bryan, are you saying you can't be a radical and have nice things? I beg to differ. I feel we can be sold out for Christ and still put money into our retirement funds. We are still called to live in this world which means we need to be wise with out stuff. I'm not saying we should go out and build ourselves a 10,000sf home and not distribute our time and wealth for the glory of the kingdom b/c that's foolishness and I think sin. But, I still say we can be and do both.
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