I believe I am on my fourth year of meditating daily on the writings of Oswald Chambers in "My Utmost for His Highest". I have tried to look at other devotionals, but I always come back to his. It challenges me constantly.
Prompted by some of his writings, I was just thinking this morning....to be a Christian is to be RADICAL. Period. There really can't be a person who fully embraces the concepts and truths of Christianity without becoming radical.
Some people would describe another as "really religious" or "really into church and stuff" or whatever. But, when you understand what it is to be a Christian, it is an absolutely radical thing in itself. Anyone claiming to be Christian is RADICAL.
In an effort to explain my faith in a way that others might understand, I might say things like "I believe that Jesus is the son of God and I try to model my life after Him by loving and serving others and bringing God's kingdom to earth as it is in heaven." Nothing wrong with that.
However, that isn't REALLY the truth.
That assumes that I have some GOOD in me and have some capacity to do GOOD.
Scriptures tell me otherwise.
What I really need to express is that I believe Jesus is the son of God and He requires me to completely surrender myself and admit that I am sinful, selfish, judgemental, self righteous, and apathetic. And, in admitting that, I invite GOD himself, in the form of the holy spirit to literally enter into me and transform me in a supernatural way. Only then do I have the capacity to live out any GOOD for His kingdom
That is crazy.
Radical.
Supernatural.
Unexplainable.
Frankly, when people start talking this way, they sound a little bizzaro!
Because, I just went from explaining my thoughts and behaviors in a fairly rational way to admitting that I am not rational or concerned with the physical laws and understandings of the world we perceive through our 5 senses. Rather, I started talking about the supernatural. Once people start to talk about THAT kind of spirituality, they may sound a bit radical.
So, I find myself trying to give account for the JOY I have within me in ways that people might understand and relate with. But, that is only a glimpse of what the real account for my JOY is! Because the real account is the fact that the God of the universe is alive IN ME. His Spirit is literally transforming me every single day that I submit myself.
That is some radical stuff.
