"The Bible teaches us to be consumed with Christ and to faithfully live out His words. The Holy Spirit stirs in us a joy and peace when we are fixated on Jesus, living by faith, and focused on the life to come." Below are some key concepts that distinguish an obsessed Christian to one that is normal. Let us all strive to be so obsessed with God that our whole being, mind and soul is lived for Him.
Obsessed Christians are:
- Lovers- There is more to our faith than friendliness, politeness, and even kindness. Jesus teaches us in Luke 6:32-36, "If you love those who love you, what credit is that to your? Even 'sinners' love those who love them. And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' do that. And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' lent to 'sinners', expecting to be repaid in full. But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. True faith is loving a person after he has hurt you. True love makes you stand out. We are commanded to love our enemies and do good to them. Who are your enemies? Or, in terms we connect with better, who are the people you avoid or who avoid you? Who are the people who have hurt your or hurt your friends or hurt your kids? Are you willing to do good to those people? To reach out to them? God commands that we give without expecting anything in return. Christ gave us something for which we can never repay Him, and then He asks us to keep giving like He gives." People who are obsessed with Jesus give freely and openly, without censure. Obsessed people love those who hate them and who can never love them back.
- Risk Takers- Before leaving on mission trips, retreats, vacations, business trips, etc. we often pray a prayer like this, "Lord, we pray for safety as we travel. We ask that no one gets hurt on this trip. Please keep everyone safe until we return, and bring us back safely." "We are consumed by safety. Obsessed with it, actually. It's not wrong to pray for God's protection, but we have to question how we've made safety our highest priority. "We've elevated safety to the neglect of whatever God's best is, whatever would bring God the most glory, or whatever would accomplish His purposes in our lives and in the world. Would you be willing to pray this prayer? God, bring me closer to You during this trip, whatever it takes..." People who are obsessed with Jesus aren't consumed with their personal safety and comfort above all else. Obsessed people care more about God's kingdom coming to this earth than their own lives being shielded from pain or distress.
- Friends of All- Strive to be friends with people that aren't like you, that might come from different walks of life. "Godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have good and clothing, we will be content with that. People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of al kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses" (1 Timothy 6:6-13). People who are obsessed with Jesus live lives that connect them with the poor in some way or another. Obsessed people believe that Jesus talked about money and the poor so often because it was really important to Him (1 John 2:4-6; Matthew 16:24-26)
- Crazy Ones- How might you react if someone close to you chose to move into a house that was half the size of their previous house or gave more of their possessions away or spent more time for others? Would you think them as being crazy? "When people gladly sacrifice their time or comfort or home, it is obvious that they trust in the promises of God. Why is it that the story of someone who has actually done what Jesus commands resonates deeply with us, but we then assume we could never do anything so radical or intense? Or why do we call it radical when, to Jesus, it is simply the way it is? The way it should be?" Obsessed people are more concerned with obeying God than doing what is expected or fulfilling the status quo. A person who is obsessed with Jesus will do things that don't always make sense in terms of success or wealth on this earth. As Martin Luther put it, "There are two days on my calendar: this day and that day" (Luke 14:25-35; Matthew 7:13-23; 8:18-22; Revelation 3:1-6)
- The Humble- Francis Chan said in this chapter of a time where after he spoke at a summer camp several students came up to him and told him he was their "favorite speaker." Chan felt good about the compliments and thanked God for helping him speak well. While he was praying he realized that the students were actually talking about him not God. Chan said that "I was standing before a holy God and robbing Him of the glory that was rightfully His." It says in Isaiah 42:8, "I am the LORD; that is my name! I will not give my glory to another or my praise to idols." Chan realized that any attention he received belonged to God. "It's pride, plain and simple, that keeps me from giving God all the glory and keeping some of it for myself. It is a battle we all fight, in some form or another, some of us daily or even hourly." One of the ways to fight against pride is through focused prayer. "Before saying one word to God, take a minute and imagine what it would be like to stand before His throne as you pray." A person who is obsessed with Jesus knows that the sin of pride is always a battle. Obsessed people know that you can never be "humble enough," and so they seek to make themselves less known and Christ more known (Matthew 5:16).
- Servers- People who are obsessed with Jesus do not consider service a burden. Obsessed people take joy in loving God by loving His people (Matthew 13:44; John 15:8).
- Givers- "The Scriptures are filled with commands and references about caring for the poor and for those who cannot help themselves. The crazy part about God's heart is that He doesn't just ask us to give; He desires that we love those in need as much as we love ourselves. That is the core of the second greatest command, to "love your neighbors as your" (Matthew 22:39)." People who are obsessed with God are known as givers, not takers. Obsessed people genuinely think that others matter as much as they do, and they are particularly aware of those who are poor around the world (James 2:14-26).
- Sojourners- "Most Americans think about life on earth way too much. Much of our time, energy, and money are channeled toward that which is temporary. Paul writes, "For, as I have often told you before and now say again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body (Philippians 3:18-21)." A person who is obsessed thinks about heaven frequently. Obsessed people orient their lives around eternity; they are not fixed only on what is here in front of them.
- The Engrossed- "Here, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the door-frames of your hoses and on your gates (Deuteronomy 6:4-9)." "In Moses' time, the heart was understood to be the seat of a person's emotions, the very center of his being, the place where decisions are made. The soul was considered the basis for a person's traits and qualities, or his personality. Strength refers to physical, mental, and spiritual strength. So within this command to love God with "all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength," every fiber of humanity is addressed. Our goal as people who follow Christ should be no less than becoming people who are madly in love with God." A person who is obsessed is characterized by committed, settled, passionate love for God, above and before every other thing and every other being.
- Unguarded Ones- "God wants us to be open with Him. He definitely doesn't want us to 'season our wretchedness' as we would raw meat. He knows what we are, that we are disgusting, that all we are doing is trying to make ourselves better. God desires true intimacy with each of us, and that comes only when we trust Him enough to be fully transparent and vulnerable." People who are obsessed are raw with God; they do not attempt to mask the ugliness of their sins or their failures. Obsessed people don't put it on for God; He is their safe place, where they cane be at peace.
- The Rooted- "The average Christian in the United States spends ten minutes per day with God; meanwhile, the average American spends over four hours a day watching television." "God doesn't want religious duty. He doesn't want a distracted, half-hearted 'Fine, I'll read a chapter...now are You happy?' attitude. God wants His Word to be a delight to us, so much so that we meditate on it day and night. In Psalm 1, He promises that those who do so are 'like a tree planted by streams of water, which yield its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does propers' (verse 3)." People who are obsessed with God have an intimate relationship with Him. They are nourished by God's Word throughout the day because they know that forty minutes on Sunday is not enough to sustain them for a whole week, especially when they will encounter so many distractions and alternatives messages.
- The Dedicated- "We tend to think of joy as something that ebbs and flows depending on life's circumstances. But we don't just lose joy, as though one day we have it and the next it's gone, oh darn. Joy is something that we have to choose and then work for. Like the ability to run for an hour, it doesn't come automatically. It needs cultivation. When life gets painful or doesn't go as we hoped, it's okay if a little of our joy seeps away. The Bible teaches that true joy is formed in the midst of the difficult seasons of life." A person who is obsessed with Jesus is more concerned with his or her character than comfort. Obsessed people know that joy doesn't depend on circumstances or environment; it is a gift that must be chosen and cultivated, a gift that ultimately comes from God (James 1:2-4).
- Sacrificers- "There is no way we can contribute or add to God. he has everything and is complete. When we are in God's presence, all we can do is praise Him. Romans 11:35-36 says, 'Who has ever given to God, that God should repay him?' For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen.'" A person who is obsessed with Jesus knows that the best thing he can do is be faithful to his Savior in every aspect of his life, continually saying "Thank You!" to God. An obsessed person knows there can never be intimacy if he is always trying to pay God back or work hard enough to be worthy. He revels in his role as child and friend of God.
*Quotes taken from Crazy Love: Overwhelmed By A Relentless God by Francis Chan
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