Photo by ramoo76 at flikr

Our pastor set before us a three-fold challenge yesterday.

SIMPLE: Love people.
CHALLENGING: Love people that nobody expects us to love.
RADICAL: Love people that do not deserve to be loved.

We are called to live simple, challenging, and radical lives. We are to live out a radical faith.

What does that even mean? Well, to define radical, here’s what dictionary.com says:

rad·i·cal

   [rad-i-kuhl]  

adjective

1.

of or going to the root or origin; fundamental: a radicaldifference.

2.

thoroughgoing or extreme, especially as regards change from accepted or traditional forms: a radical change in the policy ofa company.

3.

favoring drastic political, economic, or social reforms: radicalideas; radical and anarchistic ideologues.

4.

forming a basis or foundation.

5.

existing inherently in a thing or person: radical defects of character.

Interesting, isn’t it? Fundamental, extreme, drastic. I don’t usually put fundamental and extreme in the same category, but I think when Jesus calls us to live radically, he is calling us to live in a way that mirrors Him…and that is basic. It is fundamental. When we do that, we live in love. We love the unlovable. We love the undeserving. We love like Jesus.

Let’s go out of our way to be RADICAL this week. Who is in your sphere of influence that needs radical love? Who can God bless through you this week?

Matthew 5:43-48 (The Message)