Radical: Taking Back Your Faith by David Platt

I just finished reading this book. It was pretty challenging and I am not completely sure what to do with it. David Platt challenges you to not live the typical American lifestyle of comfort and convenience. My heart was pricked throughout reading it about how easily I fall into the routine of comfort. The Christian life is the complete opposite. It's a call to die to your flesh. Most people would view suffering as a horrible thing, but really when it is for God's glory it is a gift given to us by God. There were a lot of things that I had heard before in the book. This statement was good though :

"God knows every detail of our lives, and when we step out in faith to follow him, he will show us that our greatest security is not found in the comforts we can manufacture in this world but in the faithful provision of the only one who knows our needs and the only one who is able to meet our needs in every way."

Another challenge that David Platt brings up is to live "radically" for a year. He says only a year, because he wants you to actually live radically so much so that you can't sustain it for more than a year. These are the things he thinks will make a difference in your life if you commit to do them for one year:

1. Pray for the entire world.

2. Read through the entire word.

3. Sacrifice your money for a specific purpose.

4. Spend your time in another context.

5. Commit your life to a multiplying community.

I recommend the book to anyone, especially to those who are tired of sitting around and not doing anything. God has called us to live differently from the world, and this includes making sacrifices. We do not live for ourselves, because it isn't about us. We shouldn't store up short term temporary treasures in this world, because our time here is brief. Instead, we should invest in the kingdom, where there is purpose in sacrificing!