Paige Bier_April 20_Crazy Love

I have begun a new book called Crazy Love by Francis Chan. My friend Candace and I meet up for bible study every Tuesday and we just reviewed the first chapter of this book; therefore, I have decided to share what we learned from Chapter 1 “Stop Praying”.

Stop praying, start talking!

We must engage in more talking and less requesting when we pray to God.

Talk to him, He wants to hear about your life!

a.     God is holy.

b.     God is eternal

c.     God is all knowing

d.     God is all-powerful

e.     God is fair and just

a.     “To say that God is holy is to say that He is set apart, distinct from us” (p. 33). God already has an identity, one greater and farther beyond than the one we have for Him. God said to Moses, “I am who I am” (Ex. 3:14). Our own explanation of who God is does not change his actual identity.

b.     “God exists outside of time, and since we are within time, there is no way we will ever totally grasp that concept” (p. 33). Chan says we cannot full understand who God is or what he is capable of because He is far greater than anything we are capable of comprehending here on Earth.

c.     “He knows each of us, deeply and specifically” (p. 34).  Since God created us, he knows our every thought, our every feeling, who we are, and what we are about. Nothing we will say or do is ever hidden from God because he knows us better than we know ourselves.

d.     “For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him” (p. 35). We need to live day-by-day remembering that all things were created to give God glory. We must stop resting on the thought that God is there to bless us, when we are here to worship him.

e.     “God hates and must punish sin. And He is totally just and fair in doing so” (p. 36). God is the only one who can judge our sin and give it the type of punishment it deserves. His Son was tortured and beaten on the Cross because of OUR sin, this is why we must learn from our punishments, ask for forgiveness, and learn how to prevent such sin from happening again.

In conclusion, this chapter expressed that I must rely on God’s timing and not my own. We won’t always understand Him, but we must always trust him. God only wants what is best for us (Proverbs 3:5).