“Do you live as though faith, demonstrated through love, really is the only thing that counts?”
I recently read Francis Chan’s book, Crazy Love. I squirmed while reading it. I was overtaken by a deep conviction. Do I live as though faith demonstrated through love is the only thing that counts? Do I desperately and zealously seek to know and serve the Lord? Am I obsessed with Jesus?
1 John 3:16-18 says, “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with action and in truth.”
Ouch.
When I look at my life, I am not living with this sort of reckless love. I find myself more concerned with meeting my own needs, getting ahead, gaining this, gaining that, than I am loving people with action and truth.
Walking with Jesus means doing things that don’t always make sense in terms of success or wealth on this earth.
One thing I love about Jesus is that as we get to know Him better, He chips away at who we are and makes us more like Him. He calls us out of our graves and into the light. He radically changes us.
He calls us to deep waters. In a world where everything is about the self, Jesus calls me to die to myself.
I know that I cannot go another day as the person I have been.
But another thing that I love about Jesus is that He loves me in my selfishness and pride, but He loves me too much to leave me this way. He’s working on my heart.
That is why I am beyond excited to go on this mission trip! I hope I get to learn more about the Father’s love. God is goooooood.
your friend,
payton
