Giving Our Best to God

I think it's good to challenge myself to step out of my comfort zone now and then. Sometimes I'll watch, listen to, or read something that is challenging and/or stretching. That is how I feel about the book "Crazy Love," by Francis Chan.

Chan cuts right to the heart of some issues and doesn't pull any punches. And the amazing thing about the book is that it is aimed at shaking long time faith followers out of the ruts and routines they've come to see as acceptable. The last chapter I read, "Serving Leftovers to a Holy God," was exactly that kind of discussion. It kind of dovetailed with some things I've been thinking about.

During the first lesson of the Alpha Series, Nicky Gumbel notes that in the Western world it's harder to be a Christian than not to be a Christian. Of course those that know of the oppression, violence, and even death Christians face just for professing their faith in other parts of the world might balk at the suggestion. But I think that's because they're missing the point.

Gumbel's not saying that those in the Western world face more danger for declaring their faith, he's pointing out the fact that we have a lot more distractions. And it's hard not to see the wisdom in that point-of-view. We have more things competing for our time and pulling our focus away from God.

It's also a problem of complacency. Chan notes that in America our quality of life standards are such that we often don't recognize how blessed we are. And because we have a lot of resources and advantages at our disposal, we don't have enough reverence for the one who provides for us. We're not the only ones who've had this problem.

Hosea 13:6 says, "When I fed them, they were satisfied; when they were satisfied, they became proud; then they forgot me." God is talking about the Isrealites there, but he could easily be talking about Americans. If I'm honest, there are times when he could easily be talking about me.

It's easy to turn to God when we are sacred, lost, or alone, but it's just as important to rejoice with God when we are joyful and fulfilled.

I think the other aspect that struck me in the chapter is the idea that good enough just isn't good enough. Sometimes you're so enmeshed with "church" and "church activities" that you feel like you're giving a lot to God. Sometimes that's true, but sometimes it isn't.

I remember when I was in college at Biola (The Biblical Institute of Los Angeles), I didn't feel a need to go and worship on Sundays. After all, I had Bible classes 2-3 times a week, I was studying for those classes (reading Scripture) during the week, and I attended Chapel (a university requirement). I felt like I was immersed in the Bible all the time. But the problem was that I was fulfilling class requirements and academic study — but the Christian life is about a relationship with God.

In some ways that's still my challenge now. I am a church a lot, but am I spending enough time with God? That's a question that everyone has to answer for themselves, and it's a big focus of Chan's book. I simultaneously love and am terrified by his frequent refrain in the book in reference to Jesus' parable of the soils, "Don't assume you're the good soil."

And even if you are the "good soil," that doesn't mean you can just sit around. As any good farmer knows, even the best soil needs to be worked every day.