crazy love-part 3

i think i might have mentioned it before, but i love crazy love so much, that i've had to limit my reading of it. i read it on the sabbath as a way to spend more time thinking about the Lord and learning afresh who He is.

last week, i started chapter five. about a page into it, francis challenges his readers to read through the gospels (yes, all four) with fresh eyes. these eyes should be enlightened by the Holy Spirit; these eyes should be fueled by a heart seeking Christ; these eyes should be motivated to read the gospels as if they have never read them before.

i'll admit, i was frustrated. "francis, i sat down to read your book, not the Bible!" i was convicted of my horrid attitude and misguided motivation. i broke opened rosecrans (aka my esv study Bible) and started with matthew. half way through the first chapter, i had to stop and pray. already i was bored and already my attitude sucked. but God is gracious and merciful to change this sinner's heart.

while i'm still in matthew, i've seen a few things:

• the gospel calls for complete surrender and thus leads to complete transformation
• Christ calls His followers to be faithful
• God is wonderously powerful!
• demons obey and call Christ Lord, but mankind is too often casts away the Lord
• the kingdom of God is the focus of Christ's ministry
•  the kingdom is to be treasured (this one verse really takes the cake)
• the authority and power of Christ is unmatched.

•  

i was challenged while overseas to re-think my stance of the Gospel. (not in the sense that Jesus is the gospel, but in how it is carried out.) i thought too many times that my belief of total abandonment for the sake of Christ was unbiblical.

now i see how ridiculous i was to even think that.

that is the gospel! we have been called to live with complete faith in a mighty, faithful, merciful God! while i have yet to come close to fulfilling this in my life, i am looking forward to the steps that get me there!






until next time