I'm sitting here, in San Antonio Aguas Calientes, Guatemala, in utter amazement. Why would our God choose ME to move here? To see such beauty? Why would He choose me out of all people to come and serve Him here? What did I ever do to deserve all this? The answer is nothing. He is just too good to me.

I'm currently reading an amazing book called Radical by David Platt. I'm only on page 30, but he had me hooked on page one. He talks about how wrong American Christians have twisted Christianity into what they want it to be like. They take what God created and make it fit into their standards. They don't want to have to live up to what it calls for, so they just alter it. They have become so self-absorbed and think they need to have everything to make them as comfortable as possible, while there are millions of people around the world right now who are wasting away. Not only are they dying because they don't have enough to live through the day, but they are dying without having known our awesome God. They have failed to do what Christ has called them to do, to forsake everything they have, and follow Him into the homes of the broken. Christ calls us to be His disciples, and in order to do so, they must leave EVERYTHING and follow Him. Everything includes friends, family, homes, stuff, culture, country. Everything. He calls us to serve Him by serving the least of these. To help those who are in need. Do you think we have done a good job at that? Stop and think. Have we really?

The sad and disappointing answer to that question is no. No. We have become so self-absorbed and spend way more money on ourselves so we have a more comfortable meeting place, home, and just everything all together, and have forgotten God's call for Christians. He calls us to give everything and we have failed miserably. There are many, many Christians out there who have to meet in secret because if they could literally lose their lives if they were caught. There are people who have been so bold in sharing the love of Christ as to lose their lives. They have been killed in horrifying ways because they love their Jesus more than anything and have given everything to serve Him, including their own lives.

What have we given for the One who saved us? What have we sacrificed in order to follow Him. Nothing. Absolutely nothing. And it ticks me off. God's been showing me this so much recently. I'm ticked off at myself. I'm ticked off at the Christians of America who claim to have the love of Christ in them, yet don't live out a single thing to prove it. I am so angry and I think it's good. I think it's okay to be angry about this, because if my Jesus were here, He would be going into the very churches who claim His name, and would turn tables. They would be the people who God would spit out of His mouth because He is so disgusted with them. They have strayed so far away from our precious Jesus and it's sickening. How could we let ourselves believe that a nice, expensive church building is not acceptable, that we need nicer, more expensive ones and let those people around the world literally die because of it? How did we let ourselves believe that was okay? It's not okay.

I'm not only frustrated with those in America, I'm frustrated with myself. I was one of those "Christians". I was one who claimed to have Jesus in me, yet didn't do a single thing to live it out. I most certainly don't claim to have everything right and I don't claim to have all the answers. But I can say that God is changing my heart. I am learning what it truly means to follow my Jesus and I'm loving it! It's not easy leaving everything you've known, but He is worth it. I know that He is better than anything this world has to offer me. My heart is indeed changing. And I pray that He will change yours as well. I pray that you will be just as angry, just as sickened as I am. I pray that you will see where we have all been wrong in following Him and I pray that you will change your ways. I pray that we will stop telling God no right to His face and start obeying what He commands. The price of nondiscipleship is way more costly than the price of discipleship!

Stop and think of everything you've ever known, everything you've ever believed in. Ask yourself if your Jesus is worth forsaking it all. I hope the answer is yes. I hope you can truly see how worth it He is. But if the answer is no, stop calling yourself a Christian. Stop saying you believe in the things you believe in. Go home and stop being a hypocrite. Jesus pushed away those who didn't really believe in Him. He pushed away those who didn't believe He would be worth it. He calls us to give Him everything. We must do all He asks of us. We must follow Him fearlessly.