One of the reasons I love reading multiple books at the same time is that they inevitably teach me the exact same lessons, and I can only assume that God is hitting me over the head. While I absolutely love Shane Claiborne's The Irresistible Revolution, it's rather passionate, and some people might not like his slightly sarcastic tone. But then I'm also reading J. I. Packer's Knowing God (which is like Tozer's Knowledge of the Holy, but on crack). And Packer is firmly intellectual, presenting things as uncontested facts. So I thought I would quote him, because he's hard to argue with.
"You are called to go through this world as a pilgrim, a mere temporary resident, traveling light, and willing, as Christ directs, to do what the rich young ruler refused to do: give up material wealth and the security it provides and live in a way that involves you in poverty and loss of possessions. Having your treasure in heaven, you are not to budget for treasure on earth, nor for a high standard of living--you may well be required to forego both...
Your eyes must be open to see others' needs, both spiritual and material; your heart must be ready to care for needy souls when you find them; your mind must be alert to plan out the best way to help them; and your will must be set against the trick that we are all so good at--'passing the buck'...
None of this, of course, is strange to any of us. We know what kind of life Christ calls us to; we often preach and talk to each other about it. But do we live it? Well, look at the churches. Observe the shortage of ministers and missionaries, especially men; the luxury goods in Christian homes; the readiness of Christians in all walks of life to grumble about their salaries; the lack of concern for the old and lonely and for anyone outside the circle of 'sound believers.'"
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