I wrote this book because much of our talk doesn't match our lives. We say things like, 'I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me,' and 'Trust in the Lord with all your heart.' Then we live and plan like we don't believe God even exists. We try to set our lives up so everything will be fine even if God doesn't come through. But true faith means holding nothing back. It means putting every hope in God's fidelity to His promises.
A friend of mine once said that Christians are like manure: spread them out and they help everything grow better, but keep them in one big pile and they stink horribly. Which are you? The kind that reeks, around which people walk a wide swath? Or the kind that trusts God enough to let Him spread you out--whether that means going outside your normal group of Christian friends, increasing your material giving, or using your time to serve others?
... Most of us use 'I'm waiting for God to reveal His calling on my life' as a means of avoiding action. Did you hear God calling you to sit in front of the television yesterday? Or to go on your last vacation? Or exercise this morning? Probably not, but you still did it. The point isn't that vacations or exercise are wrong, but that we are quick to rationalize our entertainment and priorities yet are slow to commit to serving God.
A friend of mine was speaking recently. Afterward a guy came up and told him, 'I would go serve God as a missionary overseas, but, honestly, if I went right now it would only be out of obedience,' My friend's response was 'Yes, and...?'
Jesus said, 'If you love me, you will obey what I command' (John 14:15). Jesus did not say, 'If you will obey me when you feel called or good about doing so ...' If we love, then we obey. Period. This sort of matter-of-fact obedience is part of what it means to live a life of faith.
Francis Chan's Crazy Love pages 168-169.
More Crazy Love: Stop and Think
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