10,000 Reasons

Blog Post by Wendy Kauffman

It has been a long week! There have been many ups and downs. We have felt defeated. So many of you have been so encouraging, praying for God's direction and wisdom in all of this for us. We have felt those prayers. We have prayed for clarity and direction ourselves.

This past week I have been reading the book "Radical" by David Platt. There are some things about the book that I don't agree with but one thing that I do know is true is that God calls us to live a radical faith. It is hard to do though. Every thing in our human nature wants to live that comfortable American life that we have been sold into believing is what we deserve. But, do we? In this book, Mr. Platt points out that we(mainly Americans) believe that there are certain things that we feel entitled too. Things like a big house, nice car, nice things to fill our houses with. He then quickly points out from Scripture what Jesus says we can expect when we follow him. He reads from a passage in Luke 9
57 As they were walking along, someone said to Jesus, “I will follow you wherever you go.”
58 But Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens to live in, and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place even to lay his head.” 59 He said to another person, “Come, follow me.” The man agreed, but he said, “Lord, first let me return home and bury my father.” 60 But Jesus told him, “Let the spiritually dead bury their own dead![l] Your duty is to go and preach about the Kingdom of God.” 61 Another said, “Yes, Lord, I will follow you, but first let me say good-bye to my family.” 62 But Jesus told him, “Anyone who puts a hand to the plow and then looks back is not fit for the Kingdom of God.

As Mr Platt so eloquently puts it, "Plainly put, a relationship with Jesus requires total, superior, and exclusive devotion. Become homeless, Let someone else bury your dead, Don't even say good bye to your family."

That's rough! Most of us don't want to read the scripture like that but when we give our lives to Christ and say that we will follow him. That is the life we are committing to. A life that to most, looks very Radical. But WHY? Why is this a must for followers of Christ? There may be many different opinions as to why, but for me personally it boils down to one thing:
What is the cost if I don't follow Christ with everything I have? Who might come to the end of this life without ever knowing the Love that God has to offer. I believe the cost of one person not knowing is far greater than what it is costing us.

We are not giving up! We are seeking God for clarity and refocusing but we are not giving up.
Please pray for us over these next few weeks as we move forward, that we will do so with clarity and perseverance.

Last night I was listening to the song 10,000 reasons. I have listened to this song so many times this past week. It has brought me comfort. I hope it does for you too!