Going For It

I just finished Radical by David Platt. His words were challenging, to say the least. I was inspired, and convicted, deeply. But it can't end there. I can't just read the book and do nothing. I must act upon what I have read. That requires me making some changes in my life. And that is scary.

Platt reminded me, though, that I shouldn't be afraid to live radically. After all, Jesus told His disciples to "fear not, for I will be with you always." Yes, but Jesus also promised them they would endure hardships of all sorts. How exactly does that work?! Platt asks, "How can Jesus say that His disciples would be betrayed, hated, and persecuted but they would not need to fear?" He then answers his own question, "We have nothing to fear because God is sovereign."

That's one of those things that you know in your head but have a hard time getting into your heart, and then living like you really, truly believe it.

Platt assures us, however, that God's sovereignty is "the testimony of all Scripture. From the story of Job to Paul’s description of Satan’s attack in his life in 2 Corinthians 12, we see how Satan not only acts within the sovereign permission of God but also ends up accomplishing the sovereign purposes of God. Indeed, this is what the Cross is all about. Satan’s strategy to defeat the Son of God only served to provide salvation for sinners."

I think, too, of Joseph. His brothers wanted him dead, but then decided to make a profit off their brother, whom they hated. So they sold him into slavery, figuring he would die anyway. Little did they know that Joseph would one day save their very lives. When they met up with their brother again, they feared for their lives, afraid Joseph would use his position of power to get revenge. Nope, Joseph amazes them with this statement, "What you intended for harm, God used for good. You didn't send me here; God did. To save your lives."

It's easy for us to see that. We know the whole story. Joseph sure didn't. He was in the middle of it, while it was still being written. Yet, he trusted God, completely. His faith didn't waver, at least not that we can tell. No matter his circumstances, Joseph lived boldly for His Lord.

If he can do it, so should I.

Lately, though, I have been struggling with understanding, and accepting, God's plans. When things don't turn out the way I want, when I don't like what happens, I question WHY God has allowed such terrible things. I get frustrated, fight against anger, and am left feeling helpless. Not to mention I begin to doubt God's sovereignty.

That's when I have to get back into the Word, and read again the stories of Job, Daniel, Ruth, Esther, and countless others who put their lives on the line for Jesus. I have to remember Paul was in prison when he wrote, "Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ and become one with him...I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead. I want to suffer with him, sharing in his death, so that one way or another I will experience the resurrection from the dead!"

I really do want my life to count, and so I must be willing to go for it, to love God passionately, to pursue Christ wholeheartedly, no matter the cost, because I know anything I lose is nothing compared to what, WHO really, I will gain in the end.

As Platt challenges us in his book, "If your life, or my life, is going to count on earth we must start concentrating on heaven. For then, and only then, will you and I be free to take radical risk, knowing that what awaits us is radical reward."

He goes on, "This, we remember, is the great reward of the gospel: God Himself. When we risk our lives to run after Christ, we discover the safety that is found only in His sovereignty, the security that is found only in His love, and the satisfaction that is found only in His presence. This is the eternally great reward and we would be foolish to settle for anything less."

Then, to end his book, Platt provides a practical way to apply what you have just read. He invites his readers to do a one-year experiment of radically living for Jesus. In this plan, you do five things:

*pray for the entire world

*read through the entire Word

*sacrifice your money for a specific purpose

*spend your time in another context

*commit your life to a multiplying community

And I'm going to go for it. I should probably talk to Lawrence about this first, but given our conversations lately, I am pretty sure he is on board too. We just have to figure out what exactly these 5 things are going to look like for our family.

As we do, I plan to write about each of the 5 aspects of Platt's one-year experiment. I am excited to see what God has in store for us, but I would be lying if I said I wasn't scared at the same time. I am afraid, because "going for it" involves unknowns, which I don't particularly like.

But, I am going to have to be okay with that and choose to focus on the one thing I do know with all certainty. As Paul put it, "but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us."