I just wanted to comment on Francis Chan’s Preface to Crazylove because I think it put me in the right mindset for reading the rest of the book. I could relate to the struggles Chan has encountered in his Christian life, and he is right that trying harder won’t make us “better” Christians. The problem really is in our thinking, and more specifically, what we think about God. To quote A.W. Tozer, “Without doubt, the mightiest thought the mind can entertain is the thought of God…That our idea of God correspond as nearly as possible to the true being of God is of immense importance to us….A right conception of God is basic not only to systematic theology but to practical Christian living as well. It is to worship what the foundation is to the temple; where it is inadequate or out of plumb the whole structure must sooner or later collapse” (The Knowledge of the Holy). God must be our reference point, and we must start with Him. We must also remember that while God has made Himself known in numerous ways (creation, man), we can only know Him personally through His Son and through His revelation of Himself in the Scriptures. I think it is important that while we read the book, we should not skip over the related Scripture verses, but meditate upon what God wants to show us about Himself in His Word-perhaps even go to them in our Bibles and read them in context. Chan himself said that this is what changed his heart: reading the Word and allowing the Holy Spirit to apply God’s truths to his heart and change his thinking, which changed his living. I am excited about this study!
I just wanted to comment on Francis Chan’s Preface to Crazylove because I think it put me in the right mindset for reading the rest of the book. I could relate to the struggles Chan has encountered in his Christian life, and he is right that trying harder won’t make us “better” Christians. The problem really is in our thinking, and more specifically, what we think about God. To quote A.W. Tozer, “Without doubt, the mightiest thought the mind can entertain is the thought of God…That our idea of God correspond as nearly as possible to the true being of God is of immense importance to us….A right conception of God is basic not only to systematic theology but to practical Christian living as well. It is to worship what the foundation is to the temple; where it is inadequate or out of plumb the whole structure must sooner or later collapse” (The Knowledge of the Holy). God must be our reference point, and we must start with Him.
ReplyDeleteWe must also remember that while God has made Himself known in numerous ways (creation, man), we can only know Him personally through His Son and through His revelation of Himself in the Scriptures. I think it is important that while we read the book, we should not skip over the related Scripture verses, but meditate upon what God wants to show us about Himself in His Word-perhaps even go to them in our Bibles and read them in context. Chan himself said that this is what changed his heart: reading the Word and allowing the Holy Spirit to apply God’s truths to his heart and change his thinking, which changed his living. I am excited about this study!