Crazy Love Chapter 10: The Crux Of The Matter

In other words...what shall we do? A quote by Annie Dillard says, "How we live our day is...how we live our lives." We each need to discover for ourselves how to live this day in faithful surrender to God as we "continue to work out [our] salvation with fear and trembling" (Philippians 2:12). Live each day as though each person you come into contact with is Christ. In Chapter 9, Francis Chan shared stories about people who lived their lives faithfully to Christ and we need to be reminded that "God works in a vast number of ways, that He has more in store for you than you can really imagine right now.

A quote from Oswald Chambers says, "Never make a principle out of your experience; let God be as original with other people as He is with you." Francis Chan goes further and says, "Be careful not to turn others' lies into the mold for your own. Allow God to be as creative with you as He is with each of us." Do you really believe that God created you for a specific purpose? Or do you look at your life and try to compare it with the lives of others? God is a Creator not a duplicator, so let that encourage you to know that you were made in a unique way. 1 Corinthians 12:4-7 says, "There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men. Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good."

"We try to set our lives up so everything will be fine even if God doesn't come through. But true faith means holding nothing back. It means putting every hope in God's fidelity to His promises." A great analogy that Francis Chan uses is the idea of manure. If you "spread them out then they help everything grow better, but if you keep it one big pile and they stink horribly." So in turn are you "the kind that reeks, around which people walk a wide swath? Or the kind that trusts God enough to let Him spread you out-whether that means going outside your normal group of Christian friends, increasing your material giving, or using your time to serve others?"

Going back to the quote by Annie Dillard in which she said, "how we live our day is...how we live our lives." That is very similar with the body of Christ: "how we believers live out our lives is a microcosm of the life of the church." Our responsibility as apart of the body of Christ "is to help set the pace for the church by listening and obeying and living Christ." We don't necessarily have to preach to our church or congregation, but live out our daily lives through the love and obedience that God has asked of us.

"What will people say about your life in heaven? Will people speak of God's work and glory through you? And even more important, how will you answer the King when He says, 'What did you do with what I gave you?'" Daniel Webster once said, "The greatest thought that has ever entered my mind is that one day I will have to stand before a holy God and give an account of my life." That is so true. Go to Christ and pray these things and then go live the life with your friends, family, parents, neighbors, etc. and empowered you through the Hold Spirit to live.

May we be able to say at the end of our lives, along with Paul,

"I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on the Day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing."

-2 Timothy 4:7-8 ESV