Even If i Walk Alone

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

Archives for August 2010

Finding God’s Will for Your Life

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Determining what God wants you to do with your life is a very Western question. God made his will for us very plain in the Scriptures. Jesus told us to love God with all of our strength, all of our heart and all of our minds. He told us to love our neighbors as ourselves. He told us to give the hungry something to eat, the thirsty something to drink and to clothe those who were poor. He told us to visit the sick and those who are in prison. The apostles continued the mission of Christ and told us to care for the widows and the orphans, to look after those in need and to keep ourselves free from the trappings of the world. All of the above is the will of God for your life. You can stop trying to find your specific calling, because that’s it! There is not a specific call for your life other than to be part of the corporate call that He has given to all of us.

The implementation of the call of Jesus is where we start to get into specifics. God has uniquely gifted each one of us so that we might manifest His calling in our lives. The way we express the mission of Jesus to the world is distinct to each of us. However, we shouldn’t get caught up and stress over whether we should be an entertainer, a plumber, a pilot or a biologist. Those are details on the periphery. No matter what we choose to do in life, as long as we are doing the things Christ commanded us to do, we are living out our calling. There’s no secret formula to determining your place in the world. Simply use what God has given you to reach out in love to the world around you. Finding God’s will for your life is as simple as studying the Scriptures and learning to live a life that reflects and radiates Jesus.

Followers of Jesus in countries outside of the West, particularly the more poor or war ravaged regions, do not waken each day trying to determine what God wants them to be when they grow up. Rather they are simply thankful for their meager provisions and for living through another night so that they might have the opportunity to tell someone else about Jesus. They understand what the will of God is for their lives. They get the fact that the entire reason they are alive is to teach others about Jesus and to come alongside those who are hurting. I don’t believe a Christian genocide survivor in a refugee camp laments over whether they should be a doctor or a lawyer. They simply want to share Jesus with someone and invest in the lives of others. Our Western preoccupation with trying to determine our exact fit into the Kingdom has caused our true mission to be pushed aside. We are no longer solely focused on bringing the good news of Jesus Christ to those who desperately need Him; instead we are focused on what career path would bring us the most comfort while “serving” God.

God is a relational God, and relationships are never an exact science. Relationships are grown and nourished through constant communication and striving together toward a common goal. Relationships are messy and hard to define. There are a few guidelines but not a lot of rules. He clearly defined our mission. He has left the details of how that mission gets carried out in the hands of the free agents He created to go into the entire world displaying His light and glory. It’s time we stop seeking the perfect place in the Kingdom for ourselves or landing on the exact spot God created for us. The only spot created specifically for us is the one on which we now stand. Serve Jesus right where you are. Look around you; in what way could you carry out the mission of Christ right now?

Finding the will of God for your life is a very easy task. He has clearly revealed to us through Scripture everything He wants us to do. It’s time to throw off the excuse of “I’m trying to determine God’s will for my life”. You already know it. Now we must move forward in faith, fully trusting that He will take our imperfect efforts of living out our calling and turn them into something Beautiful for Him.

Your Role in the Kingdom

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What is your role in the Kingdom? Specifically, what are you uniquely gifted to do? I’ve recently been mulling over the concept that we all have the same command, but each of us have been uniquely gifted as to the ways we go about accomplishing that command. Every one of us is called to go and tell others about Jesus, to lead them to Christ and then to disciple them. We are told to go to the ends of the earth teaching about Him and demonstrating His love. Every follower of Jesus has the responsibility to feed the hungry, give water to those who thirst, clothe the needy, visit the sick and to care for those less fortunate than themselves. The orphans, the homeless, the discarded children from broken homes, the widows, and the single mothers are to be our focus. We are to love God with all that we are; He is to be everything to us. Finally we are to love everyone else the same way that we love ourselves; we are to put their needs before our own.

That is essentially what it means to be a follower of Jesus. In one paragraph we see all that we are supposed to do with our lives. It’s so simple. Following Jesus is not about a list of “do not’s” but rather a list of “do’s”. The Western church has become known more for what we are against than what we are for. Modern Christianity is more famous for its list of restrictions than it is for its charitable acts. This is antithetical to what Christ intended for His followers, and it is the polar opposite of the way we must live.

We know what to do, so the only questions that remain are “how will we live out our calling?” In what way will we use our unique talents and personality traits to do the work Jesus commanded us to do? The choreography of the cosmic dance orchestrated by God must be a thing of beauty to observe from Heaven. All of our unique expressions freely applied in His service, weaving back and forth in concert with one another. When we are all doing the things we should be doing, the resulting performance must be an amazing sight to behold. Unfortunately I’m sure that more often than not, our dance more resembles that of a kindergarten ballet, a chaotic sea of aimless movement teetering ever so closely to being out of control. It is only when we come together in unified purpose, when we begin to take our cues from the director, that our aimless flailing is turned into beautiful dance.

One of the beautiful mysteries of our mission is the way each of us has been given unique and specific gifts, yet we are urged to “diligently keep the unity of the Spirit” (Ephesians 4:3). With all of the freewill and individuality that God has placed within us all, His goal is that we might use all that diversity to form one complete picture. Much like a puzzle that depicts a beautiful mountainside, the individual pieces do not convey the majesty of the final scene. We must never be proud of the gifts we possess, because each is made more beautiful when fitted together with the gifts of another. We can achieve a little on our own; we can achieve much when working together with our brothers and sisters in Christ.

How have you been uniquely gifted? What role has God given you to play in His grand design? Think back to your childhood, what sort of things were you passionate about? What excites you? These are great clues to the gifts God has placed within you. He gives us passions and interests that are uniquely blended on His canvas. Don’t waste what God has given you, don’t refuse to play your part in His masterpiece. You were created for a purpose and you are alive to fulfill it. The stage is set; the Director awaits. Join the ensemble; play your role. Dance to the rhythm He has defined in you alone, for the Glory of the One who sits on Heaven’s throne.

Never Stand Still

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There is an old Chinese proverb that says, “Do not fear going forward slowly; fear only to stand still.” While each of us would wish to have already arrived at the place in life where our lives were fully dedicated to Christ, the truth is we are all on a life long journey. The simple fact of the matter is that we will never fully reflect the glory of God as long as we walk on this earth. It is in the striving to look like Him, the scratching and clawing along the way, in which we find satisfaction. As long as we are moving forward, drawing a little bit closer to Him, we find joy and purpose in our life. Forward motion is the key; there is nothing to fear as long as we keep looking at Jesus. When Peter walked on the water, he was not afraid; he showed great faith by focusing on Christ. It was only when he ceased to move forward, when he took his eyes off of Jesus that he suddenly had reason to fear; indeed, he was in serious trouble! The part of that story that always amazed me is when Peter began to sink, Jesus reached out and grabbed him. That means Peter was close enough to the Lord to touch Him when he chose to stop moving forward. I think we too tend to miss great opportunities and blessings because we stop short of the goal. We get tired and lose faith, rather than pushing on just a little further. Most successes are found just the other side of giving up. If we would only push ourselves a little longer, if we would only endure another moment, we just might find all that God has for us. The key is to keep moving forward no matter what.

Greg Boyd recently commented, “The past is gone. The future is not yet. This moment is all that is real. And it’s full of God! Don’t miss it. Don’t miss Him.” Once we have moved beyond this moment, there is no way we can recapture it. That opportunity for achievement has passed, never to return. Was it a moment that we moved forward or was it one we spent standing still? Did we make a difference in the life of anyone in the moment that just passed? The next moment of our life has not yet occurred, but we can prepare for that time to come by moving forward in this moment. Every time we choose to move forward, we create momentum. The more momentum we create, the more difficult it becomes to stop. We want to be forward moving people, people who seek Jesus in every moment of our lives. We can’t redeem a past moment and we can’t fully control what our future may bring, but we can choose to move forward right now, and that is all that matters. If we move forward now, we can look back and see progress. If we move forward now, we can influence the future with our momentum and prepare for whatever may come. They key is what we do right now, and we must move forward; we must never stand still.

Jesus calls each of us, just as He called Peter, to come to Him. He calls out to us through the storms of life, through the waves of emotion and the winds of change. In faith we walk towards Him, and when we do, we have nothing to fear. All our problems, frustrations and worries melt away when He becomes our sole focus. We know as long as we keep our eyes on Him, we are safe and nothing this world can throw at us can deter us from our mission of seeking Him. There is security in keeping our focus on Jesus and walking on the path that leads to Him. It is only when we pause to take in our surroundings, it is only when we look back at what we have left behind, it is only then that we falter and become lost.

Are you keeping your eyes on Jesus and moving toward Him in this moment? Is your focus now on Him and Him alone? There is no fear in Jesus, and there is no fear if we would but have the faith to seek Him and only Him. No matter what happens in life, as long as our eyes are locked on His and we are moving toward Him, nothing else matters. The key is to always follow Him, to always move along the path He walks, no matter how slowly we might be following. The longer we follow, the more earnestly we seek to keep to His way, the faster our pace will become. Speed is not the goal, persistence is. Each moment carries the opportunity to turn back, to rest or to move on. The choice is ours right now; in the blink of an eye the moment, and our opportunity, will be lost forever. Are you moving forward or standing still?

Making Decisions

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There are times in our life when we really need to hear the voice of God. During moments of decision, we all yearn for clear guidance, not wanting to make a mistake. We pray countless prayers begging Him for clarity, but more often than not are left with lingering doubt and frustration. If God is always near us, why does He seem so silent when we need Him most? I sometimes wonder if I’m so busy pleading that I can’t hear His voice over my own incessant chatter. Yet when I try to be still and just listen, the silence lasts only a few moments before my mental factory begins tooling up again and hurling thoughts across my mind. While I certainly have much to learn in this area, let me share with you a few things I have learned in my walk with Jesus.

God created us to be agents of freewill; therefore He’s not going to make most of our decisions for us. Unless they somehow impact His sovereign plan for the world, we are pretty much left to exercise our freedom of choice. So I generally pray for discernment and wisdom. Certainly God sees the big picture and can see all the possible future implications of whatever we decide to do – or not to do, as the case may be. That is why I pray for discernment, because there are powers and circumstances in play that I could never fathom. The second thing I pray for is wisdom. God gave us brains to be able to process facts and make decisions based on our findings. His Spirit lives within us enabling our intuition to be prodded in ways that protect us or lead us in certain directions. Our own life experience provides us with some clarity based on what we have been through up until this moment in our lives. The point of all of this is that God will not necessarily speak to us in an audible way. However, He does speak to us by giving us discernment and wisdom, by prompting certain “gut feelings” and by enabling us to draw on the knowledge of what we’ve seen and experienced.

When you face a major decision in life, or even a small one, our first task is to pray. Pray for discernment and wisdom. Pray that Jesus will give you clarity and peace in the process and to reveal what looks like the better choice for you in this moment. Ask for wisdom so that you might understand all of the ramifications of your decision. In addition to praying for wisdom, seek wise counsel for your decision. Draw on the experience of others, particularly those who are older than you so you can benefit of their own observations in life. Seek out mentors, friends and family that you respect and that lead the kind of life that is both reverent to God and successful in ways that you admire. Take time to reflect on your own background and aspirations. How does your decision affect your goals? Does it move you closer or further away from them? How will your decision affect your relationship with Jesus Christ? Will it move you closer or further away from Him? Weigh the ethics and, to the best of your ability, the long term implications of each path you could choose.

While we may long to hear the voice of God in a clear, audible way when we are faced with decisions, we must acknowledge that this will be the exception rather than the rule. He has not left us without the faculties to come to a good decision. He has placed the Holy Spirit with each of us who choose to believe and follow Him. He grants wisdom and discernment to those who ask. Our minds are a gift beyond all comprehension, and we have the ability to process all that we need in order to come to a wise and pleasing decision, one that will best position us to further the Kingdom. Never forget that the point of our life on earth is to be the hands and feet of Jesus. Every decision must be made with this in mind. What choice better enables you to be those hands and feet? While times of decision and change can be frightening, Jesus is with us every moment. His power and wisdom are ours for the asking. We need only seek Him, utilize every resource at our disposal and seek good counsel. Having done all this, make your decision and move forward with confidence. Jesus remains with you regardless of how you should decide. He will be with you in every moment of your life. Rest in that knowledge and embrace the freedom He has give to each of us. In Christ there is no fear; live your life in total devotion to Him. Every other decision is a minor detail and will fade away in time. All that counts, and all that remains, is what we choose to do with Jesus. Decide today to follow Him at any cost; the rest is easy.

Asking for Help

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The New Testament focuses greatly on unity among the believers. Too many of us tend to believe we can do it on our own, and strike out on our path with no companions. This is not the way Christ intended us to live. Following Jesus is extremely relational. We need other followers to travel with us in order to gain from their perspectives and for the times we require assistance. It appears to me that we believe there is some form of merit to be gained if we travel alone and battle through the tough times without aid from someone else. Jesus kept twelve friends close by Him; when He sent His disciples out into the world, He sent them in pairs. Paul took along a companion or two on his missionary trips. We need each other to best carry out the mission of Jesus Christ.

Why are we so afraid to ask for help? We allow our pride to become our downfall. In Proverbs 16:18, the Bible tells us that “Pride comes before destruction”. When we do not ask for help, we are plotting our own demise. Plans fail, fortunes are squandered and relationships are ruined simply because we refuse to ask for help. Jesus said that whatever we ask for in His name, He’ll give it to us (John 14:13). Jesus specifically tells us to ask, and yet still we do not. Asking for help is not a sign of weakness; it is a sign of obedience. Asking for help is not an admission of incompetence, but rather a declaration of humility. By refusing to ask for help we miss out on the beauty of the divine dance, we deprive someone else of an opportunity to gain the blessing of helping a brother or sister in the name of Jesus.

By allowing someone to come to your assistance in a time of need, you not only are showing your own humility, but you are also demonstrating love to the one you ask for help. When you allow them to serve you, you are permitting them to live out their own calling and to exercise their unique gifts. Each of us must work together for the good of the Kingdom. We must come alongside one another, and allow someone to come alongside of us as well. We need to learn to see asking for help as a beautiful part of our mission. When we ask for help, we allow the Body of Christ to act in unity with one another, and this is truly a magnificent site to behold. Jesus prayed that His followers would be one, just as He and God are one (John 17:22). Can you imagine loving each other in such a way? It will require us to be totally upfront with one another and to put aside all pretenses. It will occasionally involve us getting hurt, and it will certainly be messy at times. However, walking in unity is what Christ commanded us to do, and so we have no option. We must put aside our pride and tear off the masks that hide who we really are. We desperately need one another.

Are you hesitant to ask for help? Are you living in unity with other followers of Jesus? Don’t miss out on the blessings of sharing your life with someone else. True followers of Jesus do what Jesus did, and Jesus kept twelve close friends around Him all the time. He mingled among the crowds and touched those in need. Once again, we have a beautiful example of what our lives should look like. How are you doing? Do you still harbor too much pride? I know I struggle with this frequently. Let’s trade our pride for humility and submit our lives fully to Christ. Let’s come clean and admit we desperately need help, that we simply can’t do anything on our own. Jesus stands ready to act on your behalf; our brothers and sisters long for the opportunity to serve Christ by serving you. Release your fears, lower your defenses, and throw away your pride. Don’t be afraid to ask for help.