WEIRD: Because Normal Isn’t Working

by Craig Groeschel

If you have more than you can handle, God wants you to lean on him to lighten your load. You don’t have to do it all, and God doesn’t expect you to do it all alone.

Every day is a gift from God, so we must always ask ourselves whether it’s wise to invest our time in the latest demand. You’ll have dozens of opportunities, and therefore decisions, every day. Just because opportunities present themselves doesn’t mean you should accept every one of them. It’s not realistic, and it’s also not wise.

But don’t stop there. Get crazy. Get weird. Be willing to feel it. Press in. Get fanatical. Study your finances. Study your lifestyle. Figure out how to live on less. And less. And less. And give more. And more. And more.

men are hunters. Once they make the kill (the marriage), some move on to hunt something else (typically a career or hobby). We can’t let that happen to our relationships. It may seem weird to keep dating after you’re married, but it will prevent you from settling for normal.

The next time you say, “I love you,” add this word: because. “I love you because …” Then fill in the blank. Say something specific that is special to you.

I want to be like my heavenly Father, because my son wants to be like me.

Instead, we pray that our children will grow to not need us but instead need and intimately know God, then on their own — in his grace and truth — have the strength to say no to dangerous influences and temptation and live with the grace to love those who don’t live the truth they embrace.

Most married people neglect their marriage. We don’t intend to take our spouse for granted, but in reality it’s easy to do. It just happens over time, a few steps here, a few steps there, all in a direction that gradually leads us farther away from home.

I became an associate pastor at a great church downtown in the city where I lived. That job made perfect sense to me. I loved God so much, I figured ministry would be the perfect place for me to stay close to him. But then life started to happen, and my new job brought a lot of new pressures. It’s not like I got into any kind of gross sin. I just got so busy with work that I started drifting from God without really noticing. I was faking it. I’d tell people, “I’m going to pray for you.” But then I never did. People would ask me, “What’s God showing you in your time with him?” And I’d make something up. I’d pull out something God had shown me years earlier. I was a hypocrite. I praised God with my lips, but my heart was far from him.

I can promise you this: If you really, sincerely, genuinely want God back, he hasn’t moved. He’s still there, just like always, ready to bear-hug you again, just like in the old days.

I’m willing to admit: there are plenty of things I don’t know. But this doesn’t matter. What matters is the one thing I do know for certain: God is with me. He’s with you too, even right now as you read these words. He’s for you and wants to help you be the person he created you to be. He is the one for all of us.

What one thing do you desire from God above all else? Focus. Be specific. Be honest. What one thing is the Holy Spirit showing you that you lack? Will you have the courage to obey the voice of God? What one thing do you need to let go? It’s time. Forget it. Press forward. What one promise do you need to claim? Find it. Don’t give up. Cling to it.

Regardless of the situation, you’re painfully aware that your faith isn’t the priority it once was, if it’s a priority at all. You never meant for it to happen, but you just woke up one day and suddenly realized that your passion for God was gone. You still believe in God. You even believe in Jesus and what he’s done for you. There are just too many other pulls and shoves on your life. Full-time lover of your world; part-time lover of God. You’ve become lukewarm. God says this makes him want to puke.

If there is one oxymoron that is above all others, I’d argue it is lukewarm Christian. What is a lukewarm Christian? It could be described as someone who believes in Christ but is no different from people who don’t.

There is hope. The Laodiceans claimed to believe in Christ, but they were lukewarm. God was about to spit them out. But just a few verses later, in Revelation 3:19 – 22, Jesus says, “Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent. Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”