Scattered thoughts

Thoughts on Crazy love by Francis Chan

What is heaven to you? Is it merely an alternative to hell? What if I asked you, if you could have a heaven, a heaven with no sickness or death. A heaven where all your friends were, along with everything you've ever enjoyed on earth, all the food and music and earthly wonders. If you could have that heaven, even if Christ was not there, would you? Christians seem only to think about whether what they are doing is what God wants or not if they think it will affect their salvation. You may ask yourself questions that go along the lines of, "If I do this, can I still get into heaven"? If that is true, then your entire view on what God intends for His children is wrong.

Repeatedly in the Bible, God asks for everything. All of it. What is considered "radical Christianity" is exactly what Jesus Himself asked of His disciples. Go out into the world, making disciples of all nations! Not, go to church every Saturday or Sunday, know some Bible verses, and don't have sex before marriage. How is that furthering the cause of Christ? Look at the parable of the sower in Mark chapter 4. Ask yourself, what was His message in this parable? It appears to me as if He is saying, "to be a good seed, a true follower of Me, you must bear fruit." Chan says that he doesn't think that those who don't bear fruit will make it to heaven. Not that God can't cover a multitude of sins. He can and does. But don't assume you are the good seed.

Say someone asks you if you would choose God over everything you own. I know most of us want to say that we'd pick God, without hesitation. But would you? Would you really? And even if you did, would it be grudgingly?

Are you content to live a lukewarm life, despite the fact that God says that lukewarm living disgusts Him? Is it satisfying for you to not have to trust God, because you have your bank account, or your 5-year plan? Or is now the time to finally understand what God, the one and only perfect Being, is the God who loves you and not only wants what is best for you, but is able to give it to you? Humans are no where near perfect. We are selfish, controlling, and stupid. But He promises that with Him, nothing is impossible. Did you catch that? Nothing. The lost ones are found, the broken ones are restored, the ones consumed by sadness can trade it for joy! Being in love with God and following Him in every second of your life isn't just for radical Christians. It isn't just for those who think that it isn't impossible. It's for you. He's standing right there next to you, waiting to take you and your lukewarm life and transform them into the gloriousness He has planned. And you can accept. All you have to do is ask.

Holy Spirit

Warmth. Everyone has a way to describe the feeling- tingly, warm fuzzies, like every sense is awakened. For once, the outside is numb, while something- warmth- pours over every inside you have. Impossible things happen. Things that were embedded in you, that have made you squirm with guilt and doom, are puffs of air, completely separated from your soul. Silent fire washes you clean, a fire that instead of leaving ashes, takes them all away. All that is left is that singular warmth. Moving, floating, and then taking who you were and changing it into who you will become.

My Cornerstone

It's not a bad thing to trust other people, to trust yourself. Self-confidence isn't bad to some extent, but the term "I can do anything I put my mind to" is missing something. Society forgets that something when they send out that message: You and I are only human. If your faith and trust are in yourself or another person, and you are OK with that, ponder this- What are you going to do when the 'unbreakable' breaks? When your high ground is flooded in tears? What will you do when you or that person can't bear it anymore, when in some way or another they have to just let things slip and fall, and you find yourself with broken bones and bleeding?

I mean to break your illusion of safety. I can't imagine going back to living like that, after spending so much time being strong for no one other than myself. I've now let all the boulders I'd been holding up slide, and instead of crashing down and crushing me, I've finally let Someone catch them. No more oppression, of having to go and pick the all back up again, only to have it all return to my shoulders. Not only has the pile of rocks been lifted completely, all the dirt left over from countless times of falling has been washed clean. I can live with the knowledge that the path ahead of me has many rocks that will fall onto my pile, but none will ever have the ability to crush me.

Anyone and everyone's life can be like this. All you have to know is where, and Who, to place your trust in.