Insights from Crazy Love...on being lukewarm

My brother Alex went on his first mission trip this spring during his Spring Break. They flew into Brazil and went down the Amazon River visiting villages and serving the people there each day. I'm so excited that he went and got to experience how much a missions trip can change your life!

During their trip, they read the book Crazy Love by Francis Chan. Al gave me a copy to read while I've been recouping from my surgery. Today, I read an awesome chapter called: "Profile of the Lukewarm." I think I enjoyed it so much, because I felt convicted and challenged by what Chan said. Alex said it was one of his favorite chapters too! Here's some of the highlights from the chapter:

"Profile of the Lukewarm" - from Crazy Love by Francis Chan

LUKEWARM PEOPLE:

• attend church regularly. It is what is expected of them, what they believe "good Christians" do, so they go.
• give money to charity and to church...as long as it doesn't impinge on their standard of living. If they have a little extra and it is easy and safe to give, they do so.
• don't really want to be saved from their sin; they want only to be saved from the penalty of their sin.
• are moved by stories about people who do radical things for Christ, yet they do not act.
• rarely share their faith with their neighbors, coworkers, and friends. They do no want to be rejected, nor do they want to make people uncomfortable by talking about private issues like religion.
• guage their morality or "goodness" by comparing themselves to the secular world.
• say they love Jesus, and He is, indeeed, a part of their lives. But only part. They give him a section of their time, their money, and their thoughts, but He isn't allowed to control their lives.
• love others but do not seek to love others as much as they love themselves. Their love is highly conditional and very selective, and generally comes with strings attached.
• will serve God and others, but there are limits on how far they will go or how much time, money, and energy they are willing to give.
• think about life on earth much more often than eternity in heaven. Daily life is mostly focused on today's to-do list, this week's schedule, and next month's vacation.
• are thankful for their luxuries and comforts, and rarely consider trying to give as much as possible to the poor.
• do whatever is necessary to keep themselves from feeling too guilty. They want to do the bare minimum, to be "good enough" without it requiring too much of them.
• are continually concerned with playing it safe; they are slaves to the god of control.
• do not live by faith; their lives are structured so they never have to. The truth is, their lives wouldn't look much different if they suddenly stopped believing in God.

The verse Chan finishes up the chapter with is this: "Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile; it is thrown out." - Luke 14:34-35.

How much of the profile of the lukewarm do you resonate with? I have missed the mark in several of these areas. Together during this Easter weekend, let's remember the sacrifice Christ made for us...and we can give him a lot more than just being lukewarm...we can give him our full saltiness.

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