Crazy Love, Chapter 4.

Just like the rest of the chapters I've read so far, this chapter was loaded with good stuff!

Chan spends the majority of this chapter, 13 pages to be exact, delving into "The Profile of the Lukewarm". And boy was it convicting! He would make a statement about what lukewarm people are like and then back it up with one to several scripture verses of the truth. What a great way to get your point across. I highly respect anyone who can argue a point that's rooted in the truth of the Word.

One of the points I really appreciated was when he writes, "Lukewarm people rarely share their faith with their neighbors, coworkers, or friends. They do not want to be rejected, nor do they want to make people uncomfortable by talking about private issues like religion." He then quotes Matthew 10:32-33, "Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven."

I am reminded of the times where I don't speak boldly the gospel of Jesus Christ. Of the times where I think of sharing my faith, but don't. When I think of encouraging someone by scripture, but refrain because of the uncertainty for how it will be received. When any of this happens I feel ashamed.

These occurrances have become fewer as I have been working on speaking out to family, friends, coworkers, etc. I never feel "uneasy" about sharing with fellow believers, but it took some work to reach out to others whose faith I was unsure of. I think this stems from me being a primarily introverted person and not speaking out to others in general. This has definitely changed as I've grown and matured and I'm glad for it. I've noticed several times at work alone where I have been able to encourage someone by speaking the truth to them.

Whether they are saved or not, I have no idea. But by not saying something I could be missing the opportunity to "plant a seed", as they say.

Another part that really hit home for me was on pages 73-74. Chan writes, "Lukewarm people love others but do not seek to love others as much as they love themselves. Their love of others is typically focused on those who love them in return, like family, friends, and other people they know and connect with. There is little love left over for those who cannot love them back, much less for those who intentionally slight them, whose kids are better athletes than theirs, or with whom conversations are awkward or uncomfortable. Their love is highly conditional and very selective, and generally comes with strings attached."

He then backs up his point again with scripture. "You have hear that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? (Matt. 5:43-47).

I remember when I bible quizzed with my friends Karen and Melissa one year when we were in high school. It was on the gospel of Luke and I remember the same excerpts from Luke's gospel. It's natural to love those who are good to you. And to be able to be nice to those who are nice to you in return. There's nothing exceptional about anyone who does these things.

The hard part is learning to be nice to those who aren't nice to you in return. And to love those who are indifferent or don't love you.

As believers, we are to love others as Christ has loved us. (John 13:34-35). On paper it's an easy concept, but practical application proves to be more difficult. Our sinful nature gives us the desire to treat others as they treat us, whether it be good or bad. To get even with someone who hurts us. And to push away or disregard anyone we don't like so that we don't have to deal with them.

Our sermons on Sunday and the bible study we attend on Tuesday nights has been hitting on points like these, as well as praying for others. At first thought, I didn't really think I had that many people in my life that this applied to. But after looking beyond a few frustrating coworkers and family members, I realized that there are more people I can pray for or be nice to instead of ignoring them. I've started to put this into practice and have been seeing some awesome results.

A miraculous thing happens when you begin to pray for someone you don't like. God works in your heart which is really the goal of it all to begin with. One Tuesday night we even had a written prayer to fill out for someone, which was an eye opening experience if you really put effort into it. Instead of praying for someone to change their thoughts actions, I pray for God's will to be done and for me to be able to show them Christ-like love in any opportunity that comes about.

Instead of trying to change their heart, through prayer God changes mine.

I'll conclude with an excerpt from page 80. "This profile of the lukewarm is not an all-inclusive definition of what it means to be a Christian, nor is it intended to be used as ammunition to judge your fellow believers' salvation. Instead, as 2 Corinthians 13:5 says, it is a call to "examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves." We are all messed-up human beings, and no one is totally immune to the behaviors described in the previous examples. However, there is a difference between a life that is characterized by these sorts of mentalities and habits and a life that is in the process of being radically transformed.