I once heard a pastor say that you can not have an encounter with Jesus and remain unaffected.
You can not come face to face with the crucified, risen-from-the-dead Son of God and then go on about your business as usual. You can no longer view the injustices around you and write it off as the result of living in a fallen world. You can not admire the sacrificial lives of others without realizing that you are called to live the same way.
The more in-depth I get in the study of God’s Word…the more I realize just how much I love Him and, even more so, how crazy about me He is…the more my eyes are opened…
I have just started the book, Crazy Love. Already…I fear it has ruined me…ruined me for the status quo…ruined me for a life of playing it safe. Francis Chan makes a statement early in the book that really made me think…
“It’s crazy that we think today is just a normal day to do whatever we want with.”
He is referring to the fact that our lives are just vapors. We are not promised tomorrow, yet we live as if we have all the time in the world promised to us. People are starving…hurting…lonely…lost and going to hell. And we have the answer. Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians…
But we have this treasure in earthen vessels… – 2 Corinthians 4:7
The treasure Paul is referring to is the gospel…the knowledge of Christ…the good news of God’s love for us. We have this treasure that is meant to be shared. Yet, we hold it inside our earthen vessels and assume we will have other opportunities.
Lesson #3: An encounter with Christ means change
Then Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your faith has made you well.” And immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus on the road. – Mark 10:52
Jesus granted Bartimaeus’ request. He healed him. And then He gave him permission to go his way…back to his life…back to whatever it was he thought he would always do if only he could see. The only problem? Bartimaeus had just had an encounter with Christ. There was no going back. To go his way was no longer an option.
Bartimaeus was ruined for anything other than a life of following Jesus. He now had the gift…the responsibility…the overwhelming honor of carrying the treasure in an earthen vessel.
In the preface to Crazy Love, Francis Chan makes this statement…But you will have a choice: to adjust how you live daily or to stay the same. Now, he is referring to the choice you will have to make after reading this book. But, this is a choice you have to make when you encounter God…when you come face-to-face with who He is and what He has done…actually there is no choice.
You can not stay the same…
Not because it will be easy…
Not because it will be financially rewarding…
Not because people will admire you…
But because you are ruined for anything less than all He created you to be and do.
My friend is so smart.
Glad you are posting again. Loved these last few. Once you step out and start following and speaking up for the truth – whether it is for the unborn or orphans in Africa or anyone else that needs help and healing – you can’t go back to just sitting on the sidelines anymore. And people won’t like that. They will tell you to be quiet, to not talk about certain things, to go away, to stop emailing them so much, to not rock the boat – because it makes THEM uncomfortable and people don’t like being uncomfortable. But we aren’t called to make sure people are comfortable and never upset, we are called to speak the truth to them. We are called to change our corner of the world for Him.
Loved this, and love the book Crazy Love. It’s challenging me, for sure. I don’t want to lose this fervor born from this experience.