Dying to Live

I finished reading Clayton King's Dying to Live a few weeks ago and have meant to write how much I enjoyed it.  I've heard Clayton speak at our church and he is an awesome speaker.  His knowledge of biblical history and how it relates to current culture is amazing.  But what sets Clayton apart is his attitude of dying to himself that the Word might be preached.  He tells the reader early on that the title of this book was born in an encounter with a student after a rally who exclaimed that they had been looking for purpose in everything, but had yet to find it. They were dying to live -- to truly live. This book is meant for anyone who is ready to ... launch into deeper and scarier waters. Waters we have never navigated before. Waters that cause us to feel fear, trepidation, and panic. He (God) leads us into places that force us to trust Him. I am ready.

We die like we live, and we must live in such a deliberate way as to assure that when we do die, no matter the cause or context, we as followers of Jesus will leave this life, not basking in our own glory of accomplishments and accolades, but in anticipation of His glory. - Ch. 2 What Would I Die For?

From the get-go Clayton challenges the reader to ask themself what, if anything, they would be willing to die for. I had to ask myself this same question. Am I willing to die for my career, my possessions, etc.? No, of course not. Then why do I invest so much energy in them? Really, when it comes down to it when I die, none of that stuff is going to matter. And take that combined with the salvation that has been given to me and I feel compelled to take my focus off myself, my pursuits and desires, and onto my creator and His plans through my life.

Clayton addresses the fear that comes with stepping out in faith. He puts it terms that I never thought of, but completely agree with:

And though it seems impossible that fear and faith can dwell in the same vessel at the same time and take up the same space, they co-exist all the time. They must. It is not faith on my part at all if I don't choose to believe in the midst of fear and uncertainty.... Faith actually means choosing to trust in the midst of fear. It is admitting your fear and forging ahead toward an uncertain outcome, believing all the while that things will turn out right... panic will give way to a peace that cannot be described -- it can only be experienced. It is then, at home and safe, that we will wonder why we ever doubted.

I could go on quoting all day because this book is so rich with wisdom. It's full of marks from my highlighter. I highly recommend it to anyone who is ready to take their faith beyond the casual faith stage and onto finding a life of purpose as the Holy Spirit transforms our focus off of ourselves and onto Him. It could not have come at a better time for me as I'm jaded with the American Dream and ready to focus on God and how He can use me. God is calling me to follow him selflessly and he's speaking that to me through Clayton's words. The heart of this book is to get you thinking "what am I willing to die for?". And once you're ready to die to everything else to pursue that one thing, you'll finally be able to live.