Radical

I've been reading a book recently at the encouragement of a pastor friend. The book is called Radical by David Platt. So far, it's fantastic. One part has really hit me:

"The gospel reveals eternal realities about God that we would sometimes rather not face. We prefer to sit  back, enjoy our clichés, and picture God as a Father who might help us, all the while ignoring God as a Judge who might damn us. Maybe this is why we fill our lives with the constant drivel of entertainment in our culture--and in the church. We are afraid that if we stop and really look at God in His Word, we might discover that He evokes greater awe and demands deeper worship that we are ready to give Him."

As I read that it hits me like a ton of bricks. I feel the weight of it every day and there it is on the written page. Platt had been talking about how Jesus spent much of His time talking people out of following than talking them into it. When people wanted to follow Jesus He responded with statements like, "Go sell all your possessions and then come follow me." Platt made the point that we try so hard to twist Jesus' words to sound better and that Jesus didn't really mean it. I wonder in my life how many times Jesus has requested the same, or maybe something different, from me that I ignored as more of a heart matter than a reality. Maybe it is just a heart matter but I also think a lot of the times the only way for the heart matter to resolve is if the actual act comes to be.

This part of the book also reminds me of a sermon I heard months ago about how we capitalize on the characteristics of God that we like and minimize others. We don't like to think of God as wrathful, jealous or angry. It's interesting, isn't it? How we make God be who we want Him to be a lot of the time. I agree with Platt that I think I do it because I'm scared of what He really is, what I might have to give and what I might have to experience.

I'm only thirty pages in but so far, it's a great book. You should check it out.

His own Special People

I've been reading through church doctrine recently (it's one of my hobbies. seriously) and I came across a statement that I wondered whether I could sign my name under. In a local church's covenant document it reads "To turn from all godless living and sinful pleasures and to live consistent, God-honoring lives." Now that's all good stuff and sounds really pleasing to God. But the truth is, I can't do that. I'll always turn to godless living, it's my nature and I'll always have to be turned back, again and again.  So I'm struggling with this today, wrestling with such a weighty commitment and feeling like I've already failed God and my committment to Him on so many counts, every day, that to make another committment aloud makes it real and real means I have to try to follow it, giving me more things to fail at.

Then I noticed a series of scripture passages connected with the statements and opened to Titus 2:12-13. "Denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works." (as an editor's note please notice this is one sentence and I started in the middle so no complaining about my run-ons. Now back to the point).

The friction I felt before flushed out after reading this passage. Do you see it? So at the beginning we're right where we were- trying to deny ourselves everything of the world and live godly lives. But it doesn't end there and it doesn't leave all the pressure on us. It says "that He might REDEEM us..."  He is going to continually save us and we need not rest on our own merit or accomplishments. I fight so hard to be a Christian and do the right thing on my own effort. I strive and push myself and forget to lean on Him and let God be God. He never intended a period in that sentence because the climax hadn't yet come when He was explaining our duties. He planned to redeem us, to set up apart, to "purify for Himself His own special people." I'm not just a person, I'm a special person. I'm not an accident, I'm not a mistake, I'm special and intricately made perfect. And while I don't act perfect all the time (ok fine, hardly ever), He still made me perfect and set me apart. And that's all I need to know. I think we search our whole lives to be told we're enough and He just told me that.