Even If i Walk Alone

Instructing and encouraging you to live your life as a disciple of Jesus

Archives for May 2009

Have you seen Him?

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When was the last time you saw Jesus? Better still, when was the last time you actually looked for Him? I’ll bet many of us saw him last Sunday… some may have even caught a glimpse of Him on Wednesday night. Perhaps we volunteered in some church ministry one night this week, and maybe, just maybe, we saw Him then. It almost seems that Western Christianity has determined we can only see Jesus when we are at our local church building. Is this really God’s dwelling place?

When I read the Bible, I don’t see Jesus being found in the local temple very often. More often than not He is wandering the countryside and local villages. He’s hanging out with prostitutes, thieves and liars. He’s touching those we wouldn’t dare to touch: the smelly, the diseased and the dying. I don’t see Jesus on the “right” side of the tracks very often. He’s hanging out with the homeless because, lest we forget, Jesus was homeless as well.

Why do we only look for Jesus in the setting of the church? Even worse, when did the Church become a building of brick and steel? As followers of Christ, we are the Church, not some extravagant, over-priced hunk of stained glass, carpet and wood. We need to be the Church throughout every moment we are alive. We need to look for Jesus everywhere we go, in everyone we come in contact with, and in everything we do.

Look for Jesus at your job, in your neighborhood, in your own house. How might you serve the next person you see? What needs of theirs could you meet? A simple smile, a gentle touch, a kind word can all do wonders for someone who is feeling lonely and lost. We need to go the places Jesus went, hang out with the people He did, and touch others with His love. If we can’t find Jesus anywhere around us, then it’s time we expand our lives and venture further out into the world until we do find Him.

Where will you find Jesus today; where will you look for Him? When you find Him, will you wrap your arms around Him in love? Will you serve Him at any cost simply out of gratitude? Will you do it if He is dressed as a homeless man? Will you do it if He smells or is rude? Will you do it if His skin is a different shade than yours? Our answer must be an unequivocal “Absolutely!”, and it must be backed up with action. Do you long to see Him every day or is Jesus just a guy who’s nice to see on Sunday? If we love Him, we have no choice other than to serve Him in remarkable ways – every day! Look for Jesus. Be the Church.

Be Remarkable

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We need to be remarkable for Jesus. Jesus showed excellence in everything He did; we are called to do the same. What does excellence look like in your life? What would it take to be remarkable in everything you do?

Too often we are content to stroll happily through our days without urgency or passion. As long as the car doesn’t break down, the boss doesn’t yell at us and the dog doesn’t gnaw on yet another piece of furniture, it’s a good day. We grow content, even complacent with our station in life. We take for granted the car, the house, the food, even the family that God has blessed us with and entrusted into our care. Life becomes something that more or less just happens and we float along with the current of the day.

That’s not excellence. There is nothing remarkable about merely drifting in the current. People are dying without Christ every second. People are drowning in depression every day. Hopelessness envelops those around us. We are called to passion and excellence. If we can’t be passionate about living life for Christ, whom we claim is Lord of our life, then about what can we possibly be passionate?

Every task upon which we set our hands to work should be excellent, should produce a “Wow!” upon completion. Jesus never did anything half way. If we are truly his followers we will set about to live our life with unbridled zeal. We will passionately do everything He instructed us to do, and we will do so with excellence. We will produce remarkable results for Him. Our lives will be so remarkable that those around us will be drawn to what we have. We will tell them of our remarkable Lord, and the Holy Spirit will gush from us until everyone we encounter is flooded by the love of Christ. This is what it looks like to live a remarkable life for Christ.

All of creation is remarkable. The birds singing in the morning are remarkable. The sound of water flowing freely over rocks, when everything else is still, is remarkable. You are God’s creation; you are made to be remarkable. Live your passion and do so with excellence. Live remarkably for Christ.

On Stage

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In one of William Shakespeare’s famous passages, he declared that all the world was a stage and that we as individuals are the players on that stage. Within that thought I find both an incredible truth and an incredible danger as it applies to we who count ourselves as followers of Christ.

The incredible truth we can take away is that we are on stage, all the time. People are forever watching us. Those curious about Christianity watch in a sort of curious wonder, trying to determine if Christianity might be what they’ve been looking for. Those more cynical folks who turn their noses up at the mere mention of Jesus watch us constantly in hopes of pointing out our every flaw or misstep. Regardless of why people watch our lives, the fact remains that they do indeed watch. This is a tremendous responsibility. There are no days off, no moments to catch our breath; we are on stage, on camera, on the spot, 24/7. There is no doubt this is an exhausting fact, but this is how Jesus lived and so too those of us who aspire to follow in His footsteps. At any given moment, our actions are impacting someone, either for the good or for the bad. Life is not a play, it is brutal reality; there is no rehearsal. Many seem to look at Sunday as the day of the show, and then take the rest of the week off.

The incredible danger in the passage of Shakespeare is that we as Christians take our role as “players” on the stage too literally. We have a role to live, not a role to play. As Christians, authenticity is an absolute must for our lives. Those who would go through life preening and posing for an audience not only are destined to fall themselves, but may bring countless souls down with them. Simply acting out Christianity without truly living its principles, does more damage than if we would simply act like the abhorrent, sinful losers that we are. Jesus had harsh words for the Pharisees of his day, and I believe those words should still ring loudly in our ears.

Considering yourself to be on stage may be a new concept to some, terrifying to others. Despite what you may believe or even want to believe, people are watching you, all the time. How will we respond, how will we prepare for this greatest role in history? Will we simply trudge through life without joy, showing only moments of brilliance? Or will we shine each day with the incredible love of Christ bursting from within? To be like Jesus we must be ever loving, ever compassionate, ever willing to help our neighbor. Don’t let the bright lights of the stage intimidate you; shine right back with the limitless love of Christ.

Freewill and the Wedding in Cana

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The story of Jesus turning water into wine is well known to Christians and non-Christians alike. It’s one of Jesus’ “greatest hits”, if you will. The story is found in the book of John, chapter 2, verses 1-11. It’s apparent that Jesus was achieving a bit of local celebrity already as evidenced by the inclusion of His disciples in the invitation.

Jesus showed reluctance to do anything at first, but out of deference and respect to His mother he agreed to help. I think we see incredible compassion from Jesus here. He had just told His mother that it was “not yet His time”, but he rearranged His plan to accommodate humanity. Whether out of respect for His mother or compassion for His friends in the wedding party, we don’t know. But this was the first recorded time that we catch a glimpse of this side of God’s character in Jesus. He altered His plan to allow for the freewill of humans. Obviously someone had made some poor decisions about the amount of wine at the wedding. Perhaps out of thrift or carelessness, the host had made decisions of his own freewill that led to the shortage of wine. Jesus showed the immeasurability of God by being able to alter the “plan of the moment” while leaving His overarching plan unaffected. We’re told at the end of the story that Jesus displayed His glory and the disciples believed in Him after witnessing this miracle. A question occurs to me: what was the greater miracle, the greater glory – turning water into wine or altering the plan of history without altering the result of the plan of history? Do you realize how extraordinary the power and wisdom of God is, that He allows us to have free reign in our lives and none of that impedes or affects his overarching plan for the world at large? It is truly mind blowing to try and comprehend this. The gift of freewill is a beautiful thing, topped only by the beauty of the grace He imparts to cover for us when we choose badly. How can we but worship such a God?

The First Disciples

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It’s interesting to look at the different reactions of Jesus’ first disciples when He called them to follow Him. The story can be found in John 1:35-51. I think we can all identify with at least one of the first disciples.

Andrew was a disciple of John the Baptist. He was used to seeing some pretty crazy stuff, but at the same time he apparently “got” John’s message. As soon as John pointed to Jesus and stated that He was the lamb of God, Andrew took off without hesitation. John was a good man, but Jesus was the Son of God. Andrew knew whom He should follow. He believed immediately and never looked back. Right from the start, Andrew just wanted to be with Jesus, to spend time with Him. His first question of Jesus was, “Where are you staying”? As a result, Andrew ended up staying the whole day with Jesus. I can only imagine the conversations they must have had. I can only imagine what my first conversations with Christ will be like. I only know I will be enthralled at His words and overwhelmed that He would dare take the time to speak to one such as me.

After this first meeting, Andrew ran and retrieved his brother Peter so he too could meet Jesus. I wonder what Peter’s first thoughts were when Andrew told him he had found Jesus. The Jews had been waiting for the Messiah for a long time, so I’m guessing Peter had a few questions running through his head. “Why then? Why now? And how in the world did my brother happen to find Him?” To Peter’s great credit, he apparently showed similar enthusiasm to that of his brother. He immediately came to meet Jesus. How incredible must it have been for Jesus to immediately assign him a new name? Names have powerful meaning in the Jewish culture. I’m thinking a name that means “rock” has to be a good thing; it describes strength, stability, and unwavering purpose. If Peter had ever lacked for confidence, those days were quickly behind him.

Phillip was an interesting case because we are not sure what he was doing at the time Jesus called him. All we know is that Jesus was walking by and simply told Phillip to follow Him. We don’t know if Philip knew who Jesus was, after all He had yet to gain any popularity in the region. But Philip got up and followed. We don’t know whether he knew who Jesus was immediately or after talking to the other disciples, but Philip believed quickly and with all of his heart. After Jesus called him, Philip shortly thereafter ran and told his friend Nathaniel that he had found the Messiah.

Nathaniel’s reaction was quite different from that of Peter’s. Instead of believing right away and coming to find Jesus, he was skeptical and even responded with the socially judgmental comment of “Can anything good come from Nazareth”? If only he knew! Philip must have held some credibility in the mind of Nathaniel because despite his reservations, he went to meet Jesus. Jesus wasn’t offended by the honesty of Nathaniel. Jesus told Nathaniel of things that should have been impossible for Him to know, events that happened before Phillip had even gone to meet with Nathaniel. This miraculous knowledge immediately convinced Nathaniel that Jesus was the Son of God. Here was a guy that was quick to speak and quick to change his mind. My guess is his mouth probably got him in quite a bit of trouble over the years, a truly reactionary individual. I imagine him stumbling through an apology about the Nazareth comment and Jesus having a good laugh, patting him on the shoulder and reassuring him. Those must have been interesting days indeed.

So how do we react when Jesus calls to us? Do we immediately drop everything, no questions asked, to follow him? Will we do anything just for the opportunity to spend some time with Jesus? Will we believe on faith the witness of others or must we touch and see? Are we quick to speak and slow (so very slow) to understand? I want to be like Andrew, a man willing to do whatever it takes just to be in the presence of Jesus. With whom do you identify, and whom would you desire to be like? We who know Christ are all followers, just like the early disciples. Let us seek Him with the same wonder and faith.