A few friends had recommended David Platt’s book, Radical, to me, and I am so thankful that I listened to them. What a revolutionary, thought-provoking, challenging, and inspiring book this was! In fact, it was so good that I knew early on in the book that I had to own it… borrowing this book from the library just wouldn’t do. I can’t say enough great things about Radical and how much it has impacted my faith and the way that I view my life & my actions. 

Essentially, this book is pushing you to live beyond the typical American dream and to radically change your life for Christ – to say no to extravagant worldly possessions, to critically look at your own life and how you’re really living it, to live as Jesus did, and to walk in the ways that Jesus and the Bible really tell us to. Living a standard American lifestyle is biblically incorrect, according to this book, and we really must revolutionize the ways in which we live in order to live the life we’re actually called to – to spread the words of Jesus to every part of the globe. We cannot live selfishly, especially in our American bubble, and hope to truly change the world and live out the Great Commission of the Bible. As ‘radical’ as this book seems, it’s written so thoughtfully and so intentionally. I also never felt personally criticized, shunned, or bad because of my current life, but this book caused me to think so much deeper and see so much more clearly. It’s a gentle but firm nudge, and it’s not meant to attack you for living how you current do – instead, it makes so many convicting, powerful points… with so much Biblical backing and scripture.

I would strongly encourage you to dig into this book! I couldn’t stop underlining and highlighting almost every word in Radical, and I think you’ll do that same. It is, by far, one of the best Christian books I’ve read in a long time, and it has definitely left its mark on my heart. Have you read Radical – or do you want to? What’s a book that has deeply impacted your life?

Here are some of my favorite quotes and lines from Radical… there’s some good stuff right here:

•  “We will determine not to waste our lives on anything but uncompromising, unconditional abandonment to a gracious, loving Savior who invites us to take radical risk and promises us radical reward.”  -page 21
• “We have taken the infinitely glorious Son of God, who endured the infinitely terrible wrath of God and who now reigns as the infinitely worthy Lord of all, and we have reduced him to a poor, puny Savior who is just begging for us to accept him. Accept him? Do we really think Jesus needs our acceptance? Don’t we need him?”   -page 37
• “I was just being minimally obedient to what I believed God’s Word tells all of us to do. Praise God he isn’t minimally faithful and doesn’t minimally bless us… God saves me so that the nations will know him. He blesses me so that all the earth will see his glory!”   -page 84
• “Indeed, Jesus has invited us to join him in the surprisingly simple journey of spreading the gospel to all nationals by spending our lives for the good of others and the glory of God.”  -page 87
• “All he needed was to revolutionize the hearts of a few, and they would impact the world.”   -page 88
• “When we take responsibility for helping others grow in Christ, it automatically takes our own relationship with Christ to a new level.”       -page 101
• “He is the sovereign Lord. He doesn’t give options for people to consider; he gives commands for people to obey.”   -page 121
• “The point is to exalt the glory of Christ as we express the gospel of Christ through the radical generosity of our love.”  -page 135
• “Surely those who know the great passionate heart of Jehovah must deny their own loves to share in the expression of His.” -Jim Elliot, page 177
• “This, we remember, is the great reward of the gospel: God himself. When we risk our lives to run after Christ, we discover the safety that is found only in his sovereignty, the security that is found only in his love, and the satisfaction that is found only in his presence. This is the eternally great reward, and we would be foolish to settle for anything less.”   -page 181
• “Ultimate satisfaction is found not in making much of ourselves but in making much of God. The purpose of our lives transcends the country and culture in which we live. Meaning is found in community, not individualism; joy is found in generosity, not materialism; and truth is found in Christ, not universalism. Ultimately, Jesus is a reward worth risking everything to know, experience, and enjoy.”     -page 183
• “It is thus in laying down our lives that we find them” Elisabeth Elliot