Crazy for Jesus!

"If it seems we are crazy, it is to bring glory to God. And if we are in our right minds, it is for your benefit." 2 Cor 5:13


Have you ever been called crazy? If you're a woman and you happen to drive...maybe you've been called it once or twice? It almost seems as if any driving mistake gets blamed on us for some reason. Not sure why...I mean, it's not like I meant to back into my sisters car when it was parked in the driveway. Then she backed into my Dad's truck when it was in the driveway. But still, I don't think that puts us in the stereotype. Ha! Just don't let us park in your driveway.

But anyway, that was crazy, I'm not sure why I said that...

Aside from that....

I watched a video by Louie Giglio tonight called Fruitcake and Ice Cream. And I am really not giving anything away by telling you this, but he explained 2 Cor 5:13 in his message. If it seems we are crazy, it is to bring glory to God. And if we are in our right minds, it is for your benefit.

In other words....any one who has been saved by grace, having Jesus Christ in their heart, should get extremely excited about things, and to have random outburst of excitement (whether it be during a worship service or the privacy of your own home) that bring Him glory. Praise that makes you think you can fly or praise that takes the strength from your legs so you fall to your knees....

Okay pause... you have to know, well before Louie began to talk about this verse, he said other things that had already blessed me beyond measure and (sshhhh don't tell anyone *wink*wink*) I had gotten up and danced around my apartment with my hands up in the air praising His Name! (Yes. I'm crazy. Absolutey Insane. Flat out wierd when it comes to Jesus!I'll be the first to own up to it!)

...Resume. Okay, so Louie was mentioning that people who are in Christ will absolutely go nuts for Him, and then I had to laugh because I had gone nuts just a few minutes before he said that! Ha! Who knew?

But then it was really cool, because he went on to explain the second part of the verse.

And if we are in our right minds, it is for your benefit.

We all want to go absolutely CRAZY for Jesus, but we don't always because we don't want non-believers or Christians who aren't fully "there" yet to think we are crazy. Whenever we are in our right-state-of-mind, it is for the benefit of the person who is searching. And a person who is searching, doesn't "get" our outlandish excitement for Christ..... yet!

So.. it is for their benefit that we contain our random outburst in public. Else we would all be walking around the mall screaming at the top of the escalators JESUS CHRIST IS LORD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

But we don't... why?? Because we want people to think we are normal. (To Think is the operative phrase there! Ha!) Because we aren't normal. We're the righteousness of God in Christ, we're above average! But still, we want to carry on casual conversations (seasoned with salt) so that people can see a glimpse of the hope that we have. So they will want it. Then when they get it.... they will come to Christ... and then we can all be wierd for Jesus together and be one big happy family!

Anyway... I just thought that was kind of cool.....God can use us to advance His Kingdom if we're just our normal everyday self. That doesn't mean I'm saying don't express your excitement for God. By all means do!! Do cartwheels, stand on your furniture, cry out His Holy Name!.... BUT... the reminder is...there is a time to do so.. and a time to not. If we are in our right minds.. it's for the benefit of the person who hasn't fully "got it" yet. So we stay prepared, and in our right minds minister the message of grace to them. But none-the-less... if it seems we are crazy... it's to bring glory to our Father!