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I attended college at Kentucky Christian University. It was a very small college in Grayson, Kentucky with not much to do. Whenever we got bored, we would go to Marshall University about 45 mins away. Marshall was a bigger college where everyone would go to party and hangout. Considering the main attractions at my college were McDonald’s and a Wendy's attached to a gas station, Marshall University was where we spent a majority of our time.
There was one person at Kentucky Christian, however, who could make you forget all about Marshall University and the big city of Huntington. Her name was Laura. Laura had a strong faith and she was beautiful. I started believing in miracles when I had the chance to hangout with her. Considering it happened during the beginning stages of me losing my hair, I knew that it had to be a God ordained relationship.
The truth is, I had fallen away from my love and devotion to God, but being around someone like her inspired me to get back on the right track. Her standards were set. No sex -- no touching, even -- and most of our conversations were centered on God. Even though I wasn’t really that devoted to God at the time, the thought of being with someone like Laura made me want to give my all to Him.
You know, the funny thing about this story is that you wouldn’t call it radical. You would just say that I am in love. But isn’t it funny how Christians use the term "radical" to express someone’s devotion to God? We love to separate love and radical love for Jesus Christ as if they were two different categories. However, there is an alarming thought that comes to mind:
If you don’t consider yourself to have radical love for Christ, do you even love Him at all?
If I told you that I met a woman and she changed my life, you wouldn’t say it was radical, you would say it’s normal. However, when we discuss Jesus, the Lord and Savior, we often define a drastic life change as radical love for Him. Isn’t it interesting that for everyone on this planet that gets married, their life changes some, but we don’t use the term radical marriages? We simply call it "marriage."
What I’ve come to realize is that the people that aren’t radical in their faith actually just don’t care about God.
If I tell you that I moved to another country for a beautiful woman, you wouldn’t call it radical love. But, if I tell you I moved to another country for Jesus, you would say that I have radical faith. An interesting fact that I’d like to point out is that radical faith isn’t mentioned in the Bible. And, actually, I would like you to no longer use the word "radical" when describing someone’s love for somebody who was beaten, had nails pierced through His hands, and died with the weight of the world's sin on His shoulders.
Consider this: Would leaving my career and job for someone who died for me be radical or reasonable? The truth is, if you have used the term "radical" and not "reasonable," it is simply because you don’t love Jesus at all.
I appeal to you therefore, brethren, and beg of you in view of [all] the mercies of God, to make a decisive dedication of your bodies [presenting all your members and faculties] as a living sacrifice, holy (devoted, consecrated) and well pleasing to God, which is your reasonable (rational, intelligent) service and spiritual worship. - Romans 12:1 AMPC
Question of the day: Is radical faith actually just reasonable obedience to God?
25 Just then a religion scholar stood up with a question to test Jesus. “Teacher, what do I need to do to get eternal life?” 26 He answered, “What’s written in God’s Law? How do you interpret it?” 27 He said, “That you love the Lord your God with all your passion and prayer and muscle and intelligence—and that you love your neighbor as well as you do yourself.” 28 “Good answer!” said Jesus. “Do it and you’ll live.” - Luke 10:25-28 MSG