Love But Don't Leave

I am currently reading the book Radical by David Platt. This book is subtitled, Taking Your Faith Back From the American Dream. I was immediately intrigued when told about this book. I have always been struck by the fact that Christianity is not an American thing, something I tend to forget throughout my day. When I have my quiet time, and read my bible, I recognize this cognitively, but I do not live it out I guess you could say. This book has a lot to say about the church in America today and how we tend to make Christianity into something that fits into our American lifestyle, when, in reality, we need to be living a Christian lifestyle, not an "American" one. What is a Christian lifestyle? Jesus Christ. God has revealed to me that in living like Christ, I am called to love God, and my neighbor as myself, and that loving my neighbor, is loving anybody that I come in contact with. Drug addicts, fellow students, teachers, homeless people, everybody. Now I am really moved by the idea of loving broken people like drug addicts, and the homeless. David Platt mentions in his book the idea that we are supposed to love people where they're at, but not to leave them there. I love that. Loving someone is not just sharing the gospel and then never pursuing that person after that. It's much more. It's showing them that you genuinely care by pursuing out a relationship with them. Talking to them, listening to their story, inviting them to church, inviting them to lunch, or to get coffee, or whatever. That's where the oppurtunity for spirtual growth happens. I know there are and always will be things I need to work on in my life, things that I can improve, as it is with everybody. My goal for this semester is to share the gospel with someone and seek out a relationship with them. Not to leave them where they were when I initially shared the gospel with them, but to invite them to come and join in a relationship with Christ and that I will be there for them when they need me. I will not leave them where they are.