Even If i Walk Alone

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

Archives for May 2010

Potential Lost

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Each of us has been given a unique combination of gifts with which to further the Kingdom of God. Some gifts are more readily apparent and some are more subtle, but each of us has indeed been given gifts from God (Ephesians 4:7, 8; 11-13). We have been entrusted with all we need to make the kingdom of God a reality here on earth. Indeed, it is our calling as followers of Jesus. Our gifts work best and most effectively when combined with the gifts of others. We were created for relationships and for community. The gifts of one are multiplied exponentially when combined with the gifts of another.

Much like we are to be good stewards of the money God has entrusted us to manage, so too we must be good stewards of the gifts He has given to each of us. Your gifts can be used for good, used for evil, or perhaps most tragically, not used at all. If one has been blessed with a high level of charisma, they can obviously use that gift to influence others for Christ, or they can selfishly choose to use their gift to further their own agenda. I believe there is a special thrill in Hell when Satan convinces a follower of Jesus to use God’s gifts to further their own personal goals. We will have to give an account of how we used the talents God entrusted to us. Just like our time, our money or our words, we alone are responsible for their usage.

Like an accomplished musician, to make full use of our gifts, we must practice and hone their usage. Having a gift is not a pass to allow you to be lazy and never have to work at using that gift. Lack of use will cause a gift to atrophy. We are responsible not only for using our gifts for good, but also for discovering how we might best use our talent, and do so in a way that is unique to us. No two people will manifest a gift in the exact same way. Just as each soul is unique, so is the expression of each gift given by God. We alone can use our talent the way we do. We alone can fill our place within the grand movement of time within God’s plan for our world. It is an awesome and frightening responsibility. Our only chance of success is to give ourselves wholly to God and to be constantly practicing the use of our gifts.

Whether or not we will be able to make full use of our gifts depends on us having a heart purely devoted to God. Only when our hearts are totally given to Him can His power course unimpeded through our souls. Only when we are totally surrendered to Him will we be able to observe the glory of God expressed through the gifts He has entrusted to us. We often remark how sad it is when someone’s life is unexpectedly cut short. Perhaps sadder still is all of the unused potential that dies with that person. We have no idea how long we have left on this earth. Life could end at any moment for any one of us. I don’t want to die with unused potential inside of me. It is our job to work diligently to fully utilize all that God has entrusted to us for as long we are able.

How are you using your gifts? Are you more interested in fulfilling your own needs or the needs of those around you? Are you regularly exercising your gifts or do you simply make use of them when convenient? Finally, are you doing all you can to express every last ounce of usefulness out of your talents? Are you doing your part to advance God’s kingdom here on earth? You have been entrusted with great power and great responsibility; don’t waste it! When your time is done, don’t be caught with potential still inside of you. Burn brightly for Jesus in every way; use what God has given you, use it well, and most importantly, use it up. Don’t leave this world with a hole in the kingdom because of your lost potential.

Throw the First Stone

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Why do we as Christians have such an unhealthy reputation to the world outside of our church walls? It has long bothered me that Christians claim to love others and seek to fill the needs of their community, yet we are distrusted, dismissed and even despised. Something has gone terribly wrong; there is a disconnect somewhere of colossal proportions. How did it come to this, and what can we do to correct the situation?

In John 8 (verses 3-11) we find the familiar story of Jesus saving the life of a woman caught in adultery. The religious people of the day had seized the woman, and dragged her into the place where Jesus was teaching. Beyond this obvious humiliation, these same religious folks were preparing to put the woman to death by stoning her. As they stood there, perhaps with rocks in hand, Jesus calmly knelt beside the woman. He then said some of the most powerful words in all of Scripture: “Let the one with no sin throw the first stone.” When faced with their sinfulness, the people dropped their stones and went away.

Before Jesus changed the dynamics of the scene, the crowd of people was refusing to admit their own sinfulness. Instead of showing grace and forgiveness to the woman, they stood in judgment over her. We tend to do this often because it makes us feel better about our own failures. It’s far easier to condemn someone else than to confront your own weaknesses. I think the modern church still suffers from this affliction. We are so intent on judging others that we overlook our own sins. We refuse to admit that we too have issues and that we too deserve death. We don’t want to appear as anything less than “perfect Christians”; in the process we demonstrate our hypocrisy. This is what the world finds so unappealing about us. We need to show ourselves as broken people, a work in process. Instead of judging the sins of others, we should be pointing out our own failures. When the church at large begins getting real and walking in genuineness, I believe the world will respond. As long as we refuse to admit our own shortcomings and are content to target and judge the sins of others, we will continue to drive a wedge between us and those who so desperately need to hear the message of Jesus.

The life of Jesus was all about serving others. There’s little glory in service and it generally requires us to humble ourselves to do things that we consider to be beneath us. It’s far more appealing to stand in judgment over someone rather than to serve under someone in support of their life. Yet this was the mission of Christ. He did not come to condemn the world, but rather to redeem it (John 3:17). If we would follow Him, this must be our mission as well.

To change how we are seen by the world, we must change how we interact with our world. We must return to doing the work of the mission of Jesus Christ. It’s time to drop our shields, remove our masks, and admit that we need the grace of Jesus every bit as much as everyone else. We must genuinely love and empathize with others. Judgment must be left to God; this is not our calling. Instead of condemning the sins of others, let’s learn how we might serve them in such a way that they can rise above their destructive behaviors. In turn, we just might learn how to rise above our own failings. When each of us begins to love with openness and honesty, when we stop condemning and start serving others, then the world will take notice and their attitude toward the message of Jesus will turn from repulsion to curiosity. People don’t need contempt and judgment; they need healing and forgiveness. This is the mission of Jesus. This is the message of all who would follow Him.

Gratitude

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Following Jesus is hard. The way of Christ demands courage, perseverance, patience and integrity. It is both exhausting and exhilarating. We are not guaranteed peace, material wealth, food or shelter. We can wind up in difficult circumstances and still the call remains the same. We are to follow Him unwaveringly while continuing to love and serve others regardless of our own situation. The burden of life can become overbearing if we try and shoulder it ourselves. We are promised to never receive more than we can carry, but think how much more we could manage if we put the burden on Jesus himself! How does one maintain a positive and loving mental attitude though the trials of life? The answer can be summed up simply in one word: gratitude.

It’s virtually impossible to be negative in the midst of being grateful. To say each day is a gift may sound a bit cliché, but it remains true. Some days everything just seems to go right, everything comes up roses and you fall asleep just grateful to be alive. Others days, well, not so much. Perhaps though, the purpose of that day is to be a gift for someone else. Perhaps in your despair you have the opportunity to touch the life of another. Then, just maybe, because of your act of love they too will be thankful just to be alive. So each day is a gift; it’s either a gift you give or one you receive.

Before bed each night, or upon waking, run through your gratitude list. To help you get started, here are a few suggestions I’ve picked up over the years:

Possessions – Grab a notebook and pen and start walking around the place you live making a list of all your possessions. Make sure you have plenty of paper, as this is always a long and humbling experience. What I find generally happens is that I quit after filling a couple of pages. You become overwhelmed and perhaps even a little ashamed by the sheer quantity of all we possess. We may at times feel like we don’t have enough or at least not as much as our friends and neighbors, but the truth is if you are reading this blog, there is a very good chance that you are incredibly blessed. Look again at the “Global Rich List” web site to determine your level of wealth in the world. Don’t compare yourself to those who you perceive to be wealthy by the world’s standards; compare yourself with those who are wealthy by God’s standards. If you are still not convinced, try volunteering at a homeless shelter or local soup kitchen. We are immeasurably blessed and should wake grateful of this fact each day.

Health – All over the world, hundreds of men, women and children die every second from preventable diseases. Malnutrition and dirty water wreak havoc on the bodies of millions resulting in the inability to work and permanent damage to the basic functions of their minds and their bodies. The ravages of war strip away the dreams of youth as injuries change the lives of the afflicted soldiers forever. Meanwhile our biggest health concern is the choice between the smaller or larger piece of cake. If you are breathing clean air, drinking clean water, and have food in your cupboards, your health exceeds that of nearly half of the world’s population. We all have our aches and our pains, but these are petty annoyances when compared to the plight of poverty stricken nations. Check out the work being done by ministries such as World Vision and Persecution Project. Learn about the needs of the least, the lost and the last. Flex your muscles, breathe deeply and enjoy a glass of water in gratefulness for your blessings of health.

Relationships – Nearly all of us have someone in our lives for whom we can be grateful. Whether it’s a friend, spouse, child or family member, most of us have the privilege of caring for or being cared for by another person. Even for those who truly are alone in this world, if you have a relationship with Jesus, you are truly never alone (if you do not have a relationship with Jesus, or are confused about what that means, please see “What does it mean to be a Christian?” or email me to discuss it). Millions of people around the world have absolutely no one with whom they share a relationship. Young children orphaned by the scourge of AIDS find themselves with no parents, no family, and no hope. They need someone to come along side of them; they desperately need Jesus in their lives. When you feel lonely, when you have been badly burned in a relationship, when you’re at your worst, would you trade places with these children? Of course not, because you still enjoy and experience the love of other relationships. Humbly thank God for the blessings of others and more importantly of Himself, in your life.

We have much for which to be grateful. It is easy to get caught up in our selfishness and self pity. Make a regular habit of noticing all the blessings in your life. Adopt an attitude of gratitude and you will find it virtually impossible to be depressed. After recognizing all of your blessings, consider passing them along. Help those in need and bring hope to those in despair. Thank God for His love, mercy and blessings. Be humble and live in a manner that reflects your gratitude.

Deconstruction

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We all have areas and activities in our lives that we try and keep off limits to God. We can easily give up 95% of our lives to the Lord, but that last 5% can be a little tricky and full of difficulty. For too long we’ve allowed these areas of disobedience to diminish our effectiveness for God. As long as these “idols” (for that is truly what they are) remain in our lives, we can never achieve all that God has in mind for us to do. In my experience and observation, these sacred cows usually come in two flavors: entertainment and money. What are your sacred cows?

For many, they are good with altering their lifestyle a bit, as long as they can continue to spend their money however they wish. They’ll give to a charity here and there, and even some to their local church. But for the most part, “their” money is theirs to do with as they please. Some will go a step further and give the 10% tithe to their church, but that’s absolutely it; the other 90% is theirs.

Others don’t wish to give up their choices of entertainment. They have no problem giving money to God, but please don’t ask them to lay down the golf clubs or video game controller. I’ve been told that this is what they do to unwind, and if they stopped doing these things, they’d be much less happy and therefore a less effective witness for Jesus.

Let’s do a little deconstruction of the above idols. When we do not surrender “our” money to God, we essentially are asserting that we do not trust Him to be able to provide for our needs. After all, why else would we be afraid to hand control of this area over to Him? When we refuse to surrender our entertainment choices to Him, we are letting Him know that peace and happiness are of our own creation, not His.

This is not meant to be an indictment against golf or video games; they are just two easy examples of current entertainment trends. The issue comes in when we refuse to surrender these items to God. When we spend more time entertaining ourselves than we spend doing Kingdom work, there is a serious problem. When we spend more money on ourselves than on others, we are living a life that is contrary to the one Christ told us to live.

Why are we afraid to give the money we have been entrusted with to care for the poor and the needy? Do we really believe that God will allow us to starve because we gave all our money to the hungry? Even if we were to end up starving, what a way to go! We might die without food in our bellies but we’d have the love of Jesus on our lips. I’ll choose the latter any day. Why are we so certain that we cannot find peace, love, and utter joy in the arms of Jesus? Why do we believe we must seek our happiness in forms of entertainment that draw us away from being the hands and feet of Jesus?

What are your sacred cows, the areas of your life that you are hesitant to hand over to Jesus? Do you trust Him to care for your needs, both financial and emotional? Do you desire to live your life fully for Him? Take some time to determine the mental vices that prevent you from giving 100% of your life to Jesus. Take the time to ferret out the deep seeded reasons behind your hesitance to release everything to Him. At the root, you will find the lies of Satan. Don’t let him steal the joy and sense of fulfillment from your life for the sake of his lies. See your sacred cows for what they are – pale and inadequate substitutes for the love of Christ. Take some time to deconstruct your objections and allow Jesus to build a new mind within you. Then you will find the true peace that comes only from God.

Are You Serving or Surviving?

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Somewhere along the way, Christianity took a sharp turn from where it began. For most of us today, particularly in the West, we’ve forged a theology of safety. Churches are looked upon as a place of refuge from the outside world. We pray for safety for ourselves and our families. We pray for safety before heading out on the road. We choose safe neighborhoods to live in, and many churches choose safe neighborhoods in which to minister. It’s easier to write a check or send a few volunteers to the unsafe areas, while the church at large is content to remain in the relative safety of suburbia. As we have grown accustomed to safety, we have drifted closer to obscurity.

When I read the Bible, particularly of the early church in the New Testament, I see anything but safety. I see people being stoned, beheaded, imprisoned and deserted. When I look at the life of Jesus I see a man who had no home and no earthly wealth; I see a man who was hated and pursued by the leaders of His nation. I see the violence of His trial and the crucifixion. I see anything but safety. To the contrary, what I see is that the closer you get to Jesus the more danger you will find for yourself.

I don’t know when it was that we began to lose sight of the dangers of following Christ. Certainly those in Countries outside of the West do not subscribe to our theology. They risk their very lives to gather in secret just to talk about Jesus. Torture is very real to these people, not just some horrific act they read about in history books. Yet these same people consider the privilege and joy of knowing Jesus to be worth risking the certain torment they will face to do so.

We have so isolated ourselves for the sake of safety that we have lost sight of our purpose. We have so consumed ourselves with protecting our lives and those of our family that we have turned from the mission of Christ. To be in the will of God, in step with the things He called us to do, is to be in grave danger; its okay, we’re in good company. Again, read of the trials faced by early believers in the New Testament. They too faced persecution, torture and death. We should seek to have it no other way. If we are afraid to deal with danger, how will we ever take the message of Jesus any further than the tree lined streets of our planned communities? How then will we serve? To serve is to put ourselves in uncomfortable and uncertain situations. To serve is to love regardless of consequence.

Of what are we afraid? Are we afraid of physical pain? Jesus endured it for us. Are we afraid of losing our loved ones? Jesus survived it. Are we afraid of death? Jesus conquered it. He has gone there before us; He is there for us now. We have nothing to fear because in the very worst case scenario, we will join Him forever. Death holds no power and no sting. So I ask again, of what are we afraid?

Are you living to survive or to serve? Have you isolated yourself from the world outside in the name of safety but at the cost of Christ’s message? If so, it’s time to reengage with society. It’s time to emerge from the walled fortresses of our churches and communities and take the good news of Jesus to those who so desperately need it. We have the power of Christ within us, so reach out with His courage and His strength. Never lose sight of the fact that we are not called to safety, but rather to serve.