Radical by David Platt

 

From the back of the book:

"It's easy for American Christians to forget how Jesus said his followers would actually live, what their new lifestyle would actually look like.  They would, he said, leave behind security, money, convenience, even family for him.  They would abandon everything for the gospel.  They would take up their crosses daily...

BUT WHO DO YOU KNOW THAT LIVES LIKE THAT?  DO YOU?"

Platt challenges our American way of life as we know it by thematically asking this one question:
Have we created Jesus in our image?

When we account for the lifestyles we lead as Christians, how does it measure up with how Jesus commanded us to live?  We work hard, we lead our families, we go to church, we try to be responsible with our finances, and we even give like we're supposed to.  But we also wake up each morning in our nice houses, drive our nice cars, go to jobs that pay us more than what 90% of the world makes, sit in cushioned seats in our comfortable, air-conditioned sanctuaries, and worship God.  And we can do so freely, without fear of losing our lives. 

But how easy is it to worship God when He's given us so many blessings, and so many comforts?  Let's face it, our lives are comfortable.  Now Platt's not saying that it's wrong for us to have comforts in life, because God has blessed us with them.  He's challenging the fact that we've molded Christianity and the American Dream into one by striving for a life of comforts. 

Comforts that this world offers, but with Jesus thrown into the mix as well. 

• That we can have a house full of expensive things as long as we buy some Christian books and Bibles to cancel it out.
• That we can have our big houses, nice cars, and huge savings accounts as long as we throw our scraps and loose change to the poor.

But Jesus didn't command us to live comfortably.  In fact, He told us that when we follow Him, our lives will become uncomfortable by worldly standards.

So this poses a question:

WHAT IS JESUS WORTH TO YOU?

I would highly recommend this book to everyone. 

***I received a complimentary copy of this book, courtesy of Waterbrook Multnomah, as a member of their Blogging For Books program. All opinions expressed are my own and I have not been compensated in any other manner***