PastorRoxton's Blog

Radical July 23, 2010

What comes to your mind when you hear the word “radical”?  Extreme?  Over-the-top?  Beyond the normal or traditional?  Crazy, even?  I’m in the process of reading a book entitled “Radical”, by David Platt .  So far, I highly recommend it.

It got me to thinking about being radical.  What would that look like?  How would my life be rearranged if I was living radically for God?  Then this thought hit me:  The things I might think are radical, God calls normal. 

For example:  God says tithe.  “Give me 10% of your income.”  We say, “But God, that’s radical!  How will I pay my bills, pay for my boat, my motorcycle, my vacation, etc?”  God replies, “That’s not radical.  That’s normal for My kids.”  God says, “Love your enemies.”  “But that’s radical, God.  You don’t know what she did to me!  Forgive?  That’s over-the-top!”  God – “Not for My kids.  That’s normal behavior.”  “Deny yourself; give thanks for all things; love your wife as Christ loved the church; submit to your husband”, and on and on. 

“That’s radical!” we say.  God smiles and says, “Not for My kids.  That’s the normal way I want them to live.

Here’s a question:  What difference would the church make in its community if its members were “normal”?  “Normal” being doing life God’s way…totally.

The world might say, “That’s radical”.  We smile and say, “No.  That’s just normal.”

Think about it!