If one person “wastes” away his day by spending hours connecting with God, and the other person believes he is too busy or has better things to do than worship the Creator and Sustainer, who is the crazy one?
Francis Chan...there is still a need for those of us nestled deep within the Christian bubble to look beyond the status quo and critically assess the degree to which we are really living biblically.
Francis ChanChristians today like to play it safe. We want to put ourselves in situations where we are safe 'even if there is no God.' But if we truly desire to please God, we cannot live that way.
Francis ChanGod cares more about your obedience to His Spirit's leading TODAY than what you will do next year.
Francis ChanMy existence was not random, nor was it an accident. God knew who He was creating, and He designed met for a specific work. [Ephesians 2:10]
Francis ChanGod has not had an identity crisis. He knows that he is Great and deserves to be the center of our lives.
Francis ChanA key to everything is surrender - to really come before the Lord and say, 'I will literally stay here as long as you want me to stay' or 'God, I will really go anywhere on the earth.'
Francis ChanWe are a culture that relies on technology over community, a society in which spoken and written words are cheap, easy to come by, and excessive. Our culture says anything goes; fear of God is almost unheard of. We are slow to listen, quick to speak, and quick to become angry.
Francis ChanWe should be so joyful from God's grace that others would respond by saying, 'I wish I had your God.
Francis ChanJust as you did not come to Christ on your own, neither will you remain in Christ on your own.
Francis ChanLukewarm people feel secure because they attend church, made a profession of faith at age twelve, were baptized, come from a Christian family, vote Republican, or live in America. Just as the prophets in the Old Testament warned Israel that they were not safe just because they lived in the land of Israel, so we are not safe just because we wear the label 'Christian' or because some people persist in calling us a 'Christian nation.
Francis ChanThe concept of downsizing so that others might upgrade is biblical, beautiful...and nearly unheard of. We either close the gap or don't take the words of the Bible literally.
Francis ChanWorry implies that we don't quite trust God is big enough, powerful enough, or loving enough to take care of what's happening in our lives.
Francis ChanBeing in war together may be what keeps us from being at war with each other. Rather than neglecting the battle to work on your marriage, maybe the best thing for your marriage is to enter the battlefield together.
Francis ChanSometimes we shrink from leadership because our pride makes us afraid of failure. That's not humility.
Francis ChanOswald Chambers writes, ‘Never make a principle out of your experience; let God be as original with other people as He is with you.’ To that I would add, ‘Be careful not to turn others’ lives into the mold for your own.’ Allow God to be as creative with you as He is with each of us.
Francis ChanIn the craziness of our world, it takes tremendous effort to find a quiet place. It takes time to quiet your mind and your heart before the Lord.
Francis ChanThe fact is, Scripture is filled with divine actions that don't fit our human standards of logic or morality. But they don't need to, because we are the clay and He is the Potter. We need to stop trying to domesticate God or confine Him to tidy categories and compartments that reflect our human sentiments rather than His inexplicable ways.
Francis ChanYou've got to do some work now. Make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue. Virtue is about moral excellence.
Francis ChanMost of us use ‘I’m waiting for God to reveal His calling on my life’ as a means of avoiding action. Did you hear God calling you to sit in front of the television yesterday? Or to go on your last vacation? Or exercise this morning? Probably not, but you still did it. The point isn’t that vacations or exercise are wrong, but that we are quick to rationalize our entertainment and priorities yet are slow to commit to serving God.
Francis ChanSalvation is all about the grace of God. There is absolutely nothing that you can do to save yourself or earn God's favor.
Francis ChanA person who is obsessed with Jesus knows that the sin of pride is always a battle. Obsessed people know that you can never be "humble enough," and so they seek to make themselves less known and Christ more known (Mt 5:16).
Francis ChanFear of God failing us leads us to "cover for God." This means we ask, expect, and are satisfied with less.
Francis Chan...we are quick to rationalize our entertainment and priorities yet are slow to commit to serving God.
Francis ChanColossians 1:16 tells us that everything was created FOR God... don't we live instead as though God is created for US, to do OUR bidding, to bless US, and to take care of OUR loved ones?
Francis ChanParents are supposed to instruct their kids. It doesn't mean they necessarily have that gift of teaching.
Francis ChanOne of my biggest fears - maybe my biggest weakness as a Christian - is that I have a hard time going up to a stranger and talking to them about Jesus.
Francis ChanDon’t believe something just because you want to, and don’t embrace an idea just because you’ve always believed it. Believe what is biblical. Test all your assumptions against the precious words God gave us in the Bible.
Francis ChanIt's much less demanding to think about God's will for your future than it is to ask Him what He wants you to do in the next ten minutes.
Francis ChanAs we begin to focus more on Christ, loving Him and others becomes more natural. As long as we pursuing Him, we satisfied in Him. It is when we stop actively loving Him that we find ourselves restless and gravitating toward other means of fulfillment
Francis ChanProclaiming the gospel to a lost world cannot be just another activity to add to the church's crowded agenda. It must be central to who we are. It forms our identity.
Francis ChanLukewarm living and claiming Christ's name simultaneously is utterly disgusting to God.
Francis Chan