Radically Different

That’s what we’re called to be… right?

By the way, I was going to try and see how many times I could incorporate the word ‘radical’ into this blog, but decided against it. Anyway, I finished reading Radical by David Platt this week and let me tell you it was such a blessing to read, despite how convicting it was at times (meaning from the first page to the last page).

In the book, Platt calls Christians to live as the Bible commands, radically different from the world and in the last chapter he encourages everyone to take a one year challenge:

1. Pray for the entire world.
2. Read through the entire Word.
3. Spend time in another context/culture
4. Sacrifice money for a specific purpose
5. Commit to being part of a local community of believers

So far I have number five down. The others? Well, I’m working on them. Operation World is helping with the first challenge, they feature a different country each day and you pray for them. You can even sign up to be emailed the new country each day.

Number four was especially heavy on my heart… How was I, a college student with limited funds, going to sacrifice money for a specific purpose when almost every expenditure feels like a sacrifice? As I prayed about how God would have me sacrifice money for others, He showed me exactly what I was supposed to do (funny how He does that… answer our prayers. Shocking).

So, for the next year I won’t be buying any clothes (or accessories) for myself, but will use the money I would have spent on clothes for someone else. I figure I typically spend at least $300 on clothes a year, so that’s the amount I’m starting with. I keep thinking about clean water for the world, as in building wells in Africa or the Dominican Republic but I know $300 won’t do that.

I’m going to Passion 2011 in January and they have their awesome “Do Something Now” center filled with solid ministry opportunities to share the Gospel with people who haven’t heard about Jesus as well as missions to bring health and life to the people hurting from diseases without aid in their own country, so maybe there God will show me a clearer view of where He wants the money to go.

Over the past year God has awakened my heart to global missions and this is another step in sharing the Gospel that is Jesus with the world, which is the cry of my heart at the present time.

I can’t wait to see what else God has in store for the future, I simply want to be obedient to whatever He wills, whether that be sharing the Gospel in Africa, Murray or Paducah, I just want to be closer to Him.

“And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?" Then I said, "Here am I! Send me."” –Isaiah 6:8

What do I see as Precious?

While watching Passion 2010 main session videos with my sister and Whitty last night several things jumped out at me but upon further reviewing it appears there is a common theme...

What do I see as precious? What do I treasure?

Precious = Highly esteemed (prized), greatly valued, beloved.

Treasured = To retain carefully.

"Simon Peter, a bondservant and apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who have obtained like precious faith with us by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ. Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust." -2 Peter 1:1-4

Do I treasure my faith, the Word (His promises), Jesus as precious?

Well, while that may be my intentions my life often shows that the execution of those intentions is sometimes flawed. Why? Because intentions without action is like a bar of soap with no water, it may look and smell pretty but without water it cannot fulfill it's purpose. Soap without water won't clean you up, it will just leave a gross residue on your skin. In the same way, good intentions will get you no where. Action must be taken before the intentions can come to pass. My friend Jesse told me Sunday that in order for God to speak through him, Jesse had to first open his mouth. Sometimes it takes a little initiative, and a lot of obedience, on our part.

Sometimes instead of realizing that God has made me (an over-competitive, over-complicator, over-analyzer of a person) a partaker of His divine nature, my heart struggles with discontentment which leads to a dulling of the sensitivity to the Spirit and that results in a hardening of the heart.

"Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance? But in accordance with your hardness and your impenitent heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath." Romans 2:4-5

At Passion 2010 John Piper said, "Every time you sin you choose something else as more valuable than God."

Yikes.

After reading the verses in 2 Peter and trying to grasp the fact that God has given us EVERYTHING that pertains to life and godliness, I can't fathom why I ever struggle with discontentment- this says He's given us above and beyond what we need... yet I still sin, and by doing so I'm seeing something else as more valuable than the Creator of the Universe. Ridiculous!

Dear Lord,

Help me to truly treasure You and Your exceedingly great and precious promises as more valuable than anything or anyone else in my life. Thank You for Your unbelievably amazing love and mercy that has allowed me to become a partaker of the Divine... I certainly didn't earn that position. You are so worthy and while I'm completely worthless on my own, You see Jesus in me! Thank You for being my Father, my brother, and my King. You amaze me. Help me see You as supremely precious.

Awakening

"Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty." - 2 Corinthians 3:17

Liberty. What a word. For the American Patriot the word may swell their heart with pride. For another, it might just another word in the immeasurable sea of words. For me, it splashes water droplets of love on my dry, desert of a heart.

Over the past two months, but specifically the past three weeks, God has poured His love and grace on my life like no other time I can ever remember. Or, maybe He's always been there pouring out His love and I'm just now starting to pay attention. Yes, I think that's it.

The rain started falling on my heart in Atlanta, Georgia for Passion 2010, a gathering of college students from around the world uniting to make God famous. "Yes, Lord, we walk in the way of Your truth, waiting eagerly for You, for Your name and renown are the desire of our souls." -Isaiah 26:8

Passion was an unforgettable experience, filled with heartache, joy and too many life lessons to mention. Funny how you can experience heartache and joy at the same time, isn't it? Oh, but it's possible. You can be hurting, and yet clinging to the promises in God's Word that supplies us with "joy unspeakable." Praise God for joy and peace in the midst of painful situations.

Through the days at Passion, God showed me how unbelievably merciful and holy He is, He gave me a taste of how much He truly loves me, despite myself, and most importantly: He gave me an awakening.

He woke me up to liberty.

It never ceases to amaze me how unbelievably fast my heart hardens after distancing myself from the Lord. I do it to myself; I make the choice to get on facebook rather than picking up the Word and reading the letters of love from my Maker, I make the choice to separate myself from the God of the Universe and the God of my heart, to make my own way, to plan out my future and set out to make it happen. But God's love pursues. The Maker of the mountains and the Tamer of the oceans doesn't want to be a part of my life, He wants to BE my life. My all. My joy. My peace. My only love. And I make the conscious choice to put something else above Him. Despite that, He still desires to be my everything.

I can't get over that kind of love. And I don't want to.

Liberty is such a gift. It is because of liberty we can read our Bibles in America freely (for right now). It is because of liberty we are no longer slaves at a plantation. And it is because of liberty we are no longer slaves to sin. We have been granted freedom through the cross! Isn't that amazing?! God gives us liberty, ahem, freely.

The last few weeks God has shown me a lot about my future, He has called me to Africa for missions. He has called me to Murray for school (I'll be starting in the fall). And He has called me to be obedient to the rest of His callings, whenever they come and wherever they take me.

Living in Liberty and encouraging you to do the same,

Sophie