Radical So You'll Get Honest

garychester.org  5/15/09

 

"A radical" is how a good friend describes me because of the candor with which I write my blogs.

 

I confess to you that I don't particularly enjoy being so revealing and transparent.  In fact, I often wrestle with just how candid I should be.  But when you sense God is asking you to do something very specific, even when you're quite uncomfortable with doing it, you have to go with Him.  After all, He is the ultimate truth, not to mention the source of blessings to the max.

 

I'm radically open and vulnerable with you for just one reason.  I hope it encourages you to be open and honest with yourself and with God.  It is so easy to con yourself, but honesty allows Him to redeem your situation and to bring something beautiful from it.

 

Jesus puts it this way:  "Be generous with your lives.  By opening up to others, you'll prompt people to open up to God, this generous Father in Heaven." (Matthew 5:16, Message Bible)

 

God will do something beautiful if you'll get out of the driver's seat.  Let Him take you on the road trip of a lifetime.  It will be bumpy.  There will be wrecks.  You will get roughed up.  But, wow, what a ride it is to be free of the guilt, the shame and the unforgiveness.  We are talking about a man who wins where it counts.

Comments

[Danny Mize]

I find it interesting the fact that because of your honesty you are thought of as a radical. As a Christian my instruction book is the Bible. We certainly see the open and honesty of the writers whom God used in writing His Words. Within the writing we see the shortcomings, successes, and failures in the life of those who are called and try to serve our Lord. What I glean from these writings is the pure raw honesty with which these people wrote. Not just the things that made them look like a modern hero but the painful failings they all had within their walk to serve God. It is within us to always show how great we are or at least that's what we think of ourselves. But the simple fact is we are totally helpless. Our strength is derived from who is within us, which is or should be Christ. So I appreciate the openness and honesty with which you present in your own life. The truth of the matter is we no matter who we are, we face those secret demons with which we think only we know and can keep secret. But the fact is we are fooled by our desire to keep those things locked away so as to think no one knows or can see. When in reality God sees all. I believe you are in keeping with the very rule of scripture by being open and honest in the hopes of helping those of us facing our own private sins. Therefor in keeping with scripture by Fearing God and not Man. By this you are in keeping with the very men who wrote scripture open and honest because it's not about us it is about our God.
Keep up the Good work.

Friends in Christ,
Danny