Radical Faith

I was just thinking about how different Jesus' thinking was from anyone else I have ever observed or learned about.  He basically said that every natural reaction that I have, that most people in the world would call natural, is wrong.  any time anyone says "no" to me in any respect or tries to go against me I consider that rejection. So in essence to be radical I have to teach myself to process everything in my life differently than I have previously observed by the masses.  To the intellectuals Christ challenged them to realize their own self interest which clouded their interpretation of the laws of God. To the grieving he reminded them that God loved them and could see them through it. To those who were idolators he challenged them to let go of the things that they were trying to use to replace God, and to the ones who were sick he showed them the power of God to heal them if they believed.  To be radical in this world is to reject anything that tries to rise against our understanding of how important and special people are to Jesus. If I process everything in my life with the understanding that God's vision is clearer than mine, he feels for me and can show me how to overcome, that I need him, and that he can fix anything then I am only half-way there. To be completely radical I must realize that God's vision is clearer than anyone's, that God feels for everyone and has experienced and overcome every emotion,that everyone needs Jesus, and that God can fix anyone's situation.  I am still working on the full realization of how precious we all are to God. The more I realize the more power I have to live this radical life that he desires for all of us to love him, love each other, and love ourselves.  Joseph Prince a pastor and the author of the book Unmerited Favor says that right believing leads to right living.  What does it take to be radical in this day and age?  It takes believing God and his every word. It takes FAITH. This world isn't getting better, and the worse it gets the less people remember God's love for them and everyone else.  Let me just tell you right now who is precious to God: You, your family, your friends, your co-worker(s), your boss, your acquaintances, your neighbors, your enemies, you exes, your victims, your perpetrators, your employees, your countrymen, your government officials, your racial group, your teachers and professors, your students, your clients, everyone you have ever met, and everyone that you never met.  How many of us treat all of these people as precious to God? I think we all need to be a little more radical.