Lukewarm vs. Obsessed

The book Crazy Love has been out there for about 4 years now.  A New York Times Bestseller, Crazy Love by Francis Chan rocked a lot of Christians out their lukewarm funk, creating passionate believers with a new-found obsession for Jesus.

I was not one of them.

I read the book when it first came out, thought it was great, but it certainly didn't transform my life or create in me desires to change anything about my lifestyle.  I thought I was okay.  Not really lukewarm, but not really obsessed either. 

As God would have it, our class at church is studying this book together.  Aaron and I are teaching the chapter entitled "Obsessed."  Every chapter is convicting, but this one is more like smacking into a wall in the middle of the night.  Here are a few statements from that chapter:

A person who is obsessed with Jesus is more concerned with his or her character than comfort.

A person who is obsessed thinks about Heaven frequently.  These people orient their lives around eternity.

People obsessed with God are known as givers, not takers.  They genuinely think that others matter as much as they do, and are particularly aware of those who are poor around the world.

And then some statements about the lukewarm:

Lukewarm people give money to charity and to the church...as long as it doesn't impinge on their standard of living.

Lukewarm people are moved by stories about people who do radical things for Christ, yet they do not act.  They assume such action is for "extreme" Christians, not average ones.  Lukewarm people call "radical" what Jesus expected of all His followers.

Lukewarm people think about life on earth much more often than eternity in heaven.  Daily life is focused on today's to-do list, this week's schedule, and next month's vacation.  Rarely, if ever, do they intently consider the life to come.

I read these statements, and I hear two voices in my head - one spouting "But, but!!" and another whispering, "This is you."  And I know which voice is true.

There is no excuse for not being obsessed with the Savior.  There is no excuse for not giving away what I have in the name of Jesus.  No excuses for seriously loving what He loves (the poor, the fatherless, the widow, the lost) and hating what He hates (sin, hypocrisy, empty religious activity).

Faith without works is dead, dead, dead.  And I'm not saying I know what this looks like.  I can't judge anyone except myself because that's not my job. 

But I am not obsessed.  God help me.

Your turn:  How do you know someone is obsessed with Jesus?  Do you think they're weird?  Or do you admire their passion and pray for a fresh spirit?