I can't go to sleep if I feel cold, but I can't stay asleep if I am hot. Let me explain. Every night I go to bed, I start out with a fuzzy blanket on my bed. Somewhere in the midst of my deep peaceful sleep my body gets overheated and I wake up to my hands throwing my blanket off the bed. It's funny how everyone always complains "I'm hot" or "I'm freezing" instead of mentioning "I feel perfect right now." Life is normally recognized by and labeled on extreme ends of the spectrum.
However, as Christians we often don't want to be labeled as hot or cold. We enjoy being saved and we like to be known as a person that is going to Heaven. That has a positive connotation. Therefore, we don't mind those things. If we were to be labeled as radical Christians however, that would cause most of us some uneasiness. We are too imperfect to live that way, we argue. We can't live up to that expectation others may reason. Sadly it's become too much effort to strive for anything more than the bare minimum. The Bible asks much more of us. We can't coast in the middle and settle for safety. Despite what we're often told, Christianity will be uncomfortable at times and it should push us. We have to be okay with getting our hands dirty, being all in, and recklessly abandoning our sinful desires for God's glorious intentions.
If we are in a relationship with someone, people should be well aware of our love for that person. It should be evident. We should put that person first-even when that relationship doesn't make sense to outsiders looking in. When you choose someone to invest in, you want to stay faithful to them. The same goes for us and God.
Being over the top for God is viewed as annoying. Non believers don't understand the things of God and if we are doing our job right, they will be fighting us on how we live. We don't stay faithful to God out of obligation or because we want Heaven. Sadly, those can easily become driving forces. A love for God triumphs religion. And religion is nothing but following rules for your own selfish gain.
In a sermon my Dad recently preached he gave this quote, "Jesus gave up his crown to put it on you. Jesus gave up his robes to put on your rags. It would be easier to imagine putting all the oceans in one cup than it would be to imagine what it took Jesus to leave his perfect holy Heaven for this sinful world." Then he continued to talk about the sacrifice Jesus made to take on human emotions, the frailness of the human body. He made us think about the way Jesus was humiliated, suffered, beaten, and killed for our sake. The sacrifice our holy Jesus made to bear all our sin should make us want to be "radical" for him. He gave so much and we often forget that it is not okay to settle for lukewarm.
The main verse in that sermon was from Ephesians 4:1, "I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received". He wants all of us and he won't relent until we do our best to live every day with him as our focus and center. Are you in over your head in love with the one who saved your soul?
