Crazy Love

"CRAZY, RELENTLESS,

ALL- POWERFUL LOVE"

"Crazy Love" by Francis Chan (with Danae Yankoski) was amazing and rocked my world. It was recommended by a friend in my small group and she said that it was very intense... it was! The book talks about the kind of relationship we should have with our Father in heaven and that it does not involve a list of do's and don'ts, but that it is about falling in love with the Lord. This love might make you do "crazy" things, according to today's standards, but that your passion for the Lord is so intense that you do not even care!

One small group night, my friend gave us about 8 or so quotes that we discussed as a group- they all came from this book. Some of the ideas made us think a lot, and all seemed very radical... or was it? I decided to take a look at the book as a whole and see if some of my interpretations changed once I read it from beginning to end. I have to admit, I still think similarly, but the first few chapters set up the foundation for the book in a way that blew me away. It brought up some old ideas that I had just been believing in but not really taking them to heart. In the small group, some more of the radical ideas were brought up and discussed, but it was refreshing to look at some of Chan's basic principals.

Below, I am going to list off some of the passages or quotes that stood out to me. Please, take a moment to think about some of these ideas and how they fit into your life.

God is eternal and hard to understand.

Not being able to fully understand God is frustrating, but it is ridiculous for us to think we have the right to limit God to something we are capable of comprehending. What a stunned, insignificant god that would be! If my mind is the size of a soda can and God is the size of all the oceans, it would be stupid for me to say He is only the small amount of water I can scoop into my little can." (pages 31-32)

Sometimes I forget that God is so big and that it is impossible to understand everything he has in store for my life and the reasons for why he does things.

Lukewarm People

Chan also talks about "lukewarm people" and how they approach church/ Christianity. Here are some of his views (pages 68-81):

Lukewarm people...

-attend church fairly regularly. it is what is expected of them, what they believe "good Christians" do, so they go. (Look at Isiah 29:13)

- tend to choose what is popular over what is right when they are in conflict. They desire to fit in both at church and outside of church; they care more about what people think of their actions (like church attendance and giving) than what God thinks of their hearts and lives." (God talks a lot about this in Luke 6:26, Revelations 3:1, and Matthew 23:5-7)

-are moved by stories about people who do radical things for Christ, yet they do not act. They assume such action is for "extreme" Christians, not average ones. Lukewarm people call "radical" what Jesus expected of all His followers. (The world has deceived our outlook... but some verses that remind us are in James 1:22, James 4:17, and Matthew 21:28-31)

- rarely share their faith with their neighbors, coworkers, or friends. They do not want to be rejected, nor do they want to make people feel uncomfortable by talking about private issues like religion. (Matthew 10:32- 33)

- love God, but they do not love Him with all their heart, soul, and strength. They would be quick to assure you that they try to love God that much, but that sort of total devotion isn't really possible for the average person; it's only for pastors and missionaries and radicals. (God reminds us about the greatest commandment in Matthew 22:37-38)

- do not live by faith; their lives are structured so they never have to. They don't have to trust God if something unexpected happens- they have their savings account. They don't need God to help them- they have their retirement plan in place. They don't genuinely seek out what life God would have them live- they have life figured and mapped out. They don't depend on God on a daily basis- their refrigerators are full and, for the most part, they are in good health. The truth is, their lives wouldn't look much different if they suddenly stopped believing in God. (Luke 12:16-21 and Hebrews 11)

Chen also asks some hard questions:

"Are you willing to say to God that He can have whatever He wants? Do you believe that wholehearted commitment to Him is more important that any other thing or person in your life? Do you know that nothing you do in this life will ever matter, unless it is about God and loving the people He has made?" (page 97)

Having faith often means doing what others see as crazy. Something is wrong when our lives make sense to unbelievers." (pg 114-115)

"But God doesn't call us to be comfortable. He calls us to trust Him so completely that we are unafraid to put ourselves in situations where we will be in trouble if He doesn't come through." (page 124)

Profile of The Obsessed

Obsessed people are more concerned with obeying God than doing what is expected or fulfilling the status quo. A person who is obsessed with Jesus will do things that don't always make sense in terms of success or wealth on this earth.

People who are obsessed with Jesus aren't consumed with their personal safety and comfort above all else. Obsessed people care more about God's kingdom coming to this earth than their own lives being shielded from pain or distress.

A person who is obsessed with Jesus knows that the sin of pride is always a battle. Obsessed people know that you can never be "humble enough," and so they seek to make themselves less known and Christ more known.

people who are obsessed with Jesus do not consider service a burden. Obsessed people take joy in loving God by loving His people.

A person who is obsessed is characterized by committed, settled, passionate love for God, above and before every other thing and every other being.

Take a second and look at how you are living your life... I know I am not living 100% full throttle, all inhibitions aside, and all my love and money and time are not going to serve His kingdom. The big question for me is if I am going to continue living how I am living, or am I going to change into one of those radical Christians?