Even If i Walk Alone

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

Archives for February 2011

Stuck In a moment

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A few years ago the band U2 had a popular song that featured the following lyrics:

You’ve got to get yourself together
You’ve got stuck in a moment
And now you can’t get out of it
Don’t say that later will be better
Now you’re stuck in a moment
And you can’t get out of it

I think many of us find ourselves stuck in a moment and we can’t get out of it. We accept Christ, attend church regularly and even put some money into the offering plate. But the rest of our lives are wholly unremarkable for the kingdom. We are stuck in the moment of asking Christ to be our Lord, yet we never move forward with our commitment.

Following Jesus is not a onetime event that happens to us; it’s a life-long series of activities in which we engage. When you aren’t sure how to get to your destination and a friend offers to lead you there, you don’ stop after the first turn. That’s not following and it will lead to a lot of aimless wandering. That is not the life to which we were called, and it’s not a life that I want to lead. I want to be in passionate pursuit, not wandering aimlessly. This is the difference between being a Christian and being a follower of Jesus. In the early church, all they cared about was devoting themselves to prayer and to service for others. That’s a far cry from the Western Christianity of the 21st century. We are stuck in a moment, and we can’t get out of it. We are stuck building buildings and creating more and more programs to insulate ourselves from the world around us. We are stuck associating only with each other and pursuing our individual versions of the American dream. We are stuck living a life that disregards the commands of Jesus and having the extent of our outreach equal a plastic fish on the back of our cars.

Following requires an active and focused intention. We cannot follow what we cannot see. If our eyes are not on Jesus we will not be able to move forward. Step number one in getting yourself unstuck is to clear the distractions from in front of your eyes and focus on Jesus. Our lives have become consumed with busyness and activity for the sole sake of movement. But movement without progress is futile at best; it leads to a life of despair and destruction. If we are serious about our desire to follow Jesus, then we must move with purpose and intention toward Him. We cannot spend our lives stuck in any moment, as there is far too much work to be done.

We truly do need to get ourselves together. This can only be done with the grace of God, because on our own we are simply a mess. Pretending that everything will be better tomorrow without making a change today is nothing but delusion. Life doesn’t get better by itself and you don’t grow closer to God by simply sleeping off a bad day. Too many of us seem to enjoy the place in which we are stuck; it’s comfortable and familiar. We have been lulled into inactivity and have given up struggling. We don’t want to leave the moment we are in because anything else is uncertain. Following Jesus is a call to uncertainty. We often don’t know where we’re going, but we do know where we’ll end up! Jesus is calling us to move forward toward Him. We have to get unstuck and pursue Him with all of our strength; He’ll provide whatever we lack.

Are you stuck in a moment? Have you been watching life pass you by, wanting to get involved but you’ve been too afraid or too stuck in a moment? Did you trust in Jesus years ago, only to find that your passion has waned and you are now simply a believer but not a follower? I encourage you to prayerfully resolve to become unstuck. Ask God to pull you out of the moment of which you can’t seem to get out; ask Him to help put the pieces of your life back together, and change your focus to be on Him alone. This is the stuff of life; this how it gets better. Follow God with all that you are; live in the way He instructed you to live. Refuse to be stuck in your moment any longer and instead pursue God with a passion that is both infectious and contagious. Love Him above all else; move forward and pull someone along with you. Don’t be stuck any longer, He can put you back together; you need only just ask.

Facing God

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As followers of Jesus, we do everything with the end in mind. Our words, acts of service and expressions of love are all done so that God might be glorified and that His Kingdom would manifest itself on the earth. There is very little we do for today, rather we are tomorrow workers and future thinkers. We work today so that tomorrow might be better. It’s an invigorating yet exhausting way to live. Many people have worked a lifetime for Christ only to die without ever seeing the fruits of their labor. But the harvest does come in; sometimes days or even years later, but their work is rewarded in a way that brings glory to God. We must never lose sight of tomorrow as we work through today.

As we gaze toward the future, it is inevitable to think about facing God at last. One day we all will die and receive that which we have worked so hard to achieve: perfect communion with Jesus Christ our Lord. When we reach that day, what will God say to us? Will it be that He will say “Come on in, you are blessed; come in and share in the Kingdom” (Matthew 25:34)? If I could only hear those words, I would fall to my knees in thankfulness and awe at His unending mercy.

At the opposite extreme, will He say to us, “Depart from me, because you are wicked and did not do what I told you to do” (Matthew 25:41-46)? I shudder at the thought. Those words have eternal consequences; we can’t get this wrong, as there are no second chances at that point. I believe there will be many Christians who hear Him pronounce this horrific judgment on them; how I pray to not be one of them. He has laid out in plain language what we must do to avoid such a pronouncement: feed the hungry, give water to the thirsty, clothe the naked, take in those with no place to go, care for the sick and minister to those in prison. It’s not simply a matter that if we do these things then we will be allowed entrance into heaven; rather it is the attitude of our heart as we profess our love for God.

You cannot love Jesus and refuse to do the things He told us to do. There are some whose circumstances do not allow them to physically participate in these activities. But you can still pray. Prayer is the most powerful and effective weapon we have; it is music to the ears of God. I imagine Heaven constantly buzzing with the prayers of believers; this is where the battle is fought and won. If you are able to physically carry out the commands of Christ, then you should do so, and not use prayer as an excuse for inaction. We all have a duty to carry out the instructions of Jesus to the best and full extent of our abilities.

David Platt said in his book, “Radical”, that he is pretty sure that when we face God He will not say, “I wish you would have kept a little more for yourself.” God is not interested in the kind of car we drive or the balance of our retirement accounts. God is not excited about the square footage of our house or how well manicured our lawn is. What God is interested in is that we are demonstrating His love to everyone in need, that we are keeping ourselves pure and undefiled by the world, that we are sharing all the blessings He has given us with others. (James 1:27; Luke 12:48)

Don’t make the mistake of living your life for the dreams of America or anywhere else on this planet. As followers of Jesus, our allegiance is to Him and Him alone. Our nationality rests only in Christ and our goals should be only those that reflect His glory to a dark and dying world. When we face God, we will have to answer for how we lived the life He entrusted to us; we will have to account for how we made use of the gifts we were given. How will God judge you? Do you love Him with all of your heart, your soul, and your mind? If you do, then you will dedicate your life to His service and in pursuit of His mission. A simple prayer followed by living out the American dream is not the life God is looking for us to live. The life He finds Holy and acceptable is this: to care for the orphans and widows, to fight for justice, to care for the poor. (James 1:27; Isaiah 58:6-7) This is the life we are called to lead, and this is the life for which we will be judged. The question we all must ask ourselves is simply this: when we face God, based on what we have done for Him, what will He say to us? May we all pursue His glory and His mission out of a devoted love for Him, and an unwavering faith in Him. If we will only do what He has told us to do, His grace will sufficiently cover us when we at last face our Creator and our God.

A Case for Minimalism

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For the past year or so, I’ve been rolling around the idea of minimalism in my head. It is attractive to me as a way of life and seems to fit well within my desire to be a true follower of Jesus. If you are unfamiliar with the term, one website defines a minimalist lifestyle as a life that “is free of complications, clutter, confusion and distraction.” Minimalists live with only what is necessary for their daily needs. There are some who take the lifestyle to the extreme of almost making a religion of it, but I am only concerned with its usefulness as it applies to living a life that is more in tune with Jesus.

Certainly anyone can see that a life that is free of confusion and distraction would be a lifestyle that would more easily lend itself to prayer and quiet times alone with the Lord. I don’t know about you, but my prayers are often distracted by the countless “mental emergencies” that pop into my head. This year I have endeavored to set aside two hours each Sunday afternoon for quiet reflection, study and prayer. My weeks are rather full, as I’m sure you can relate, so the first two weeks of quiet time with God led to about a forty-five minute exhaustion nap creeping into the beginning of my time with God. I feel like Peter who couldn’t even stay awake and diligently pray with Christ when He asked him to. Too often our attempts at extended times of prayer become frustrating because our minds are so busy that we find it difficult to concentrate on the task at hand; or like me, our lives are so busy that that the body only understands slowing down in the context of sleeping.

Surely pursuing a simpler, less complex life could do wonders for our spiritual growth. In fact I see it modeled in the life of Jesus. After embarking on His ministry, it appears that He had no permanent home of his own, or at least not one He visited very often. Perhaps He left His home and belongings behind to model the lifestyle He would require of His disciples. After all, He was a man in His twenties, so He would have surely accumulated some material possessions by this point. Since He walked everywhere He went, he apparently had no means of transportation. When he sent His disciples out, He instructed them to not even take an extra shirt, telling them that God would provide for their needs (Luke 9:3). Indeed, when he taught about living stress free, He told us not to worry about what we will eat or drink, or what we will wear (Matthew 6:31-33). Yet somehow we have reversed that teaching and now fill our pantries and closets to be certain that we will have enough for the foreseeable future. Instead of depending solely on God for our needs, we have come to depend on our paychecks. We only cry out to God to sustain us when we lose our jobs.

All of the “stuff” we accumulate can distract us from focusing on Jesus. We rely on our possessions to provide for our needs. The more we have, the more time and energy it consumes to maintain it. Cars must be washed and repaired, appliances must be cleaned and serviced, and houses must be continuously picked up and organized. Every new thing we add to our list of possessions has ramifications far beyond its purchase in the form of some sort of ongoing time and energy investment. Let me be clear by saying I am not advocating that we all sell our cars, appliances and houses; but I’m not saying we shouldn’t either. I’d honestly rather not own a home than have it become something that gets between me and God. In fact I’d rather not own anything if what I possess distracts me from my pursuit of loving and serving Him. There is probably a happy medium in between somewhere, so that is what I am seeking. I look at those Christians in other parts of this world who are devastatingly poor, yet immensely happy. They have discovered that joy is found only in Jesus, not in their “stuff”. Then I look at all the unhappy, stressed out and defeated Christians in America. We are missing something and I want to find it!

Here’s my challenge to you: take an honest look at your life and see if there are areas where you have come to rely more on your possessions than on Jesus. Begin praying for Him to sustain you each day, and be truly thankful for that provision. Don’t pray over your meals out of habit but rather concentrate on the immense blessing that has been given you. I am embarking on an interesting adventure where I have decided to get rid of five possessions each week until the end of the year. I didn’t count first to see if that is a comfortable or reasonable goal, but I want to see where it takes me and how simply I am willing to live. I want to depend on God each day for everything and nothing else. The Psalmist says that He is our provision. I want that to be true of my life; I want to live a simple life for Jesus, free from distraction and clutter. Following Jesus is simple; it is we who have made it complex. Let’s get back to basics, living a life that depends wholly on Him. Then we can truly be called followers of Jesus.

How’s Your Reflection?

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We were created to glorify God through the use of the unique blend of talents and ambitions He has placed within each of us. We glorify Him by reflecting His love and His character to the lives of others through the way we live. Regardless of where we find ourselves, we are always reflecting something to the world around us. So at least as often as we check our reflection in a mirror, we need to check what we are reflecting to those with whom we come into contact. When we are faithfully reflecting Christ, our lives will be marked by the same things that characterized His life: love and service to others.

There are to be no exceptions to our love. Jesus loves every person with the same infinite and all-encompassing love with which He loves you. We all have people in our lives that we’d truthfully rather not be around, or people who only seek to do us harm. These are the hardest to love, of course, but if we want to glorify God with our lives, then we must reach out and love all people the same. It’s not easy to think of loving someone who has hurt you repeatedly or someone who may even want to kill you, but this is the love that was demonstrated by Jesus. Shortly before His arrest, which would lead to His crucifixion, we find Jesus eating a meal with the very one He knew would betray Him. Peter disowned Jesus when Christ most needed His support, yet only a few days later Jesus was cooking Him breakfast and appointing him to be the leader of His Church. Jesus holds no grudges and forgives all wrongs done against Him. He loves with a perfect love that has little regard for Himself, yet holds those He loves in the highest esteem.

Just as there are no exceptions to love, no one is to be considered unworthy of our service. We must guard against ever putting ourselves above another. In the most extreme example of humility, Jesus stepped away from His glory and into the messiness and lowliness of sinful human life. The price was not too great for Him, and He unabashedly pursued the opportunity to serve those He loved. Mere hours before Judas would betray Him, we find Jesus washing the feet of His betrayer. Even in His darkest hour, the focus and mission of Jesus was to humbly serve others in any way that He could. He spent His last hours of freedom on earth breaking bread and sharing a meal with those He loved, serving them one last time before His death. The life of Christ was marked by love and service from the beginning to the very end.

How do our lives compare? Do we forgive others for the wrongs they inflict upon us? Do we go out of our way to serve those who mean us harm? In doing these things, we reflect the love of Jesus and glorify our Lord. Love and service are not catchphrases of Christianity, but rather the very essence of what it means to be a follower of Jesus. If we will not love and serve others, then we cannot be followers Christ. If you pray a prayer to accept Jesus but then do not demonstrate His love and attitude of service to others, I believe you are in a precarious position, one that may find you gravely disappointed when your life is done. Remember, even the demons believe in Jesus and they shudder in fear (James 2:19). Don’t be a believer who cowers, one who never experiences the fullness of life that is found only by following Jesus. Be more than a believer; be a follower.

Determine today that you will no longer allow divine moments to slip from your grasp. Act with compassion and love toward everyone you encounter today. Remember that each and every person is of infinite worth to Jesus, and we must treat them with the same honor and respect that He ascribes to them. Don’t walk by an opportunity to serve someone. If you see someone in trouble, be the Samaritan rather than the religious person; cross over to them and care for their need. You have no better place to be at any time than in the midst of God’s will in that moment. Our lives should be marked by love and service to our Savior and King. Our lives should glorify and reflect Him with every step. Take a moment to examine what others see in you. How’s your reflection?

An Army of Love

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Every kingdom has an army, so I was thinking about what the army of the Kingdom of God would look like as we endeavor to bring that kingdom into reality here on earth. Certainly this army would not look like the traditional army. Jesus rebuked Peter when he lashed out with a sword to try and defend Him (John 18:10-11), so this would seem to dictate that superior firepower should not be a goal of our army. Christ taught that the meek would inherit the earth (Matthew 5:5), so the tactic of aggression appears to be out as well. Similarly, we are taught that we should not “lord over others” (Mark 10:42-45), so domination and conquest are also out. What then, does the army of the Kingdom of God look like, and how is it that they will achieve victory?

One of the clues is found in the second half of the reference in Mark we looked at above (Mark 10:42-45). Here we find Jesus teaching that if we want to win, we have to lose in the eyes of the world, in the prevailing viewpoint of our society. He teaches that we must become the servant to those around us. Instead of conquering our enemies, we are instead to serve them. This is a counterintuitive battle strategy, but it should surprise no one accustomed to living in the upside down Kingdom of Jesus Christ. The King James Version of the Bible translates 1 Peter 2:9 to say we are called to be a peculiar people, and it doesn’t get much weirder than this. The way we prepare for battle as the army of the Kingdom is to voluntarily lay down our lives in order to serve the very ones who are warring against us. How peculiar indeed.

A typical army is financed and outfitted from the support of the nation through taxation. Supporting the army is not an option, it is rather the law. By contrast, financial support for the army of God is totally voluntary. Those engaging in battle rely on the generosity of their fellow soldiers to provide the means to furnish their supplies. In this way, we are more of a brotherhood than an army, a family that looks after one another. This is a good thing, because unlike the typical soldier who can count on the support of His family, God’s warriors are more often despised by their families for their participation in the war. Jesus told us that He came to bring division not only to the earth, but also within families (Luke 12:51-53), because not all would be willing to accept His mission. Without the support of our earthly families, we must rely on our spiritual brothers and sisters to encourage us on in the fight.

The one area where the army of God is very much like a traditional army is in the arena of battle. Make no mistake, there is a very real and very deadly war being waged in the spiritual realm, and you and I are in the thick of it. People are hurt, maimed and killed as a result of the wounds inflicted in the war in which we are engaged. Satan seriously wants to destroy you and Jesus has set in His heart to redeem you. This spiritual battle is often manifested in physical ways through oppression, possession and redemption. Do not make the mistake of believing that what happens in the spiritual realm does not affect your everyday life. You are being influenced by one side or the other in every moment, and it is up to you which way you will choose.

Though we may lack traditional firepower, we possess the greatest weapons of all: faith and love. The Bible tells us that faith can move mountains (Matthew 17:20) and can extinguish every attack of the enemy (Ephesians 6:16). Love is the ultimate weapon in that it can diffuse discord, counteract hate, and turn an enemy into an ally. Jesus said that the greatest expression of love was to lay your life down for another (John 15:13). As we seek to carry out the mission of Christ, we must daily be looking for opportunities to serve others to the point of giving our lives for them. We must invest ourselves authentically into everyone we meet. As we demonstrate the love of Christ to others, we win victory after victory for Christ. Every act of kindness and servitude brings His Kingdom on earth one step closer to fruition. Together our selfless acts of love combine to amass a movement of love that cannot be stopped. This is what the army of God looks like; this is how the war will be won. Not by acts of violence or through weapons of force. God will rule the day by beating back the darkness with His unstoppable light. As we join Him in the battle we will find victory through our acts of service and mercy. We are His army, an army of love.