This is the last post in the series of brief snippets from Francis Chan's book "Crazy Love" that I've been sharing with you over the last few weeks. This excerpt is from page 112-114.What does running toward Christ and pursuing Love look like in daily life? The best place I know to look is in Scripture; here we gather wisdom and study the examples of those who followed God wholeheartedly. The best passage is probably Hebrews 11, a chapter often called the “hall of faith.” It is tempting to assume that the people listed there were super-human, or supersaints, and that you and I could never do the kinds of things they did. (112)
These people were far from perfect, yet they had faith in a God who was able to come through in seemingly dire situations…Having faith often means doing what others see as crazy. Something is wrong when our lives make sense to unbelievers. (112-13)
If eternity doesn’t come and God does not exit, then, as Paul says, “If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men” (1 Cor. 15:19). If there is no God, then Paul and all the martyrs throughout history lived short lives full of needless suffering (2 Cor. 6:4-10).
But since God is real, Paul and the martyrs should be envied more than all people; their suffering was worth it. If we allow ourselves to live recklessly for Him, then we, too, will see His glory. We will see Him do the impossible.
Christians today want to play it safe. We want to put ourselves in situations where we are safe “even if there is no God.” But if we truly desire to please God, we cannot live that way. We have to do things that cost us during our life on earth but will be more than worth it in eternity. (114)
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