Even If i Walk Alone

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

Archives for March 2016

Left Over’s

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Claire Cain Miller recently wrote an article for the New York Times titled, “Stressed, Tired, Rushed: A Portrait of the Modern Family”. While not pointed out in the article, it reminded me how our relationship with God often falls victim to our stressed out, fatigued, and busy lifestyle. The life of a Christian in modern society looks ridiculously similar to that of a non-Christian.

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We play the game of pursuing the American dream and keeping up with the Jones’s. None of which has anything to do with following Jesus, of course. But more often than not, we live our busy lives and give Jesus our left over’s. We give God whatever time and money is left over after pursuing our selfish desires.

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Dying to Self

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Central to living life as a fully devoted follower of Jesus is the act of dying to self. It is only when we lose ourselves we are able to then find Jesus (Luke 9:23-24). Paul said in dying to himself he would gain everything (Philippians 1:21). A true follower of Jesus surrenders everything to Him. Whatever we knew before Jesus, we now cast aside in favor of living a life that looks just like His.

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Few can do this all at once, though I wish it were so easy. In reality, we must all die constantly, in every hour. No matter how well or poorly things may be going, we must make a conscious effort in each moment to die to ourselves and live for Jesus. It gets easier, I promise, but it is a choice we will have to make from this moment until our last breath. I can think of no higher aspiration for a life.

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Jesus

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Two thousand years ago a man walked this earth a little differently than any who had come before him or ever since. He never sought his own welfare or fame. He never wavered from his purpose. Above everything else, this man simply loved people; not for what they could do for him, but rather just because they existed. He didn’t care where they came from or what they had done. It didn’t matter what society thought of them; he saw them as beautiful and priceless.

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When he passed the poor, he looked them in the eye and healed their souls. Upon encountering the sick and diseased he reached out and touched them, healing their wounds and washing their scars. In return he never asked for money. He simply loved.

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A Disciple’s Life

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Have you ever noticed when Jesus sent His disciples into the world, He didn’t send them out to receive earthly pleasures or joy, but rather to persecution and tribulation? He didn’t send them out to receive honor, but rather the contempt of the people. Jesus did not send them into a life of ease and rest, but rather to one of hard and difficult labor.

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What was appealing to Christ’s early followers was not the life they would be leading but rather the fruit which would be the reward of their work. They were not focused on what they might gain or obtain, but only on what would be achieved for God’s glory and His Kingdom. This is what it looks like to be a disciple. It was true then, and it is true today.

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This Is Not Our Home

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I believe the reason so many Christians feel frustrated or ineffective is because they are too firmly planted on earth. It’s so easy to be wooed by all the beautiful things this world has to offer. Rarely do we realize everything we see here is a cheap knock-off of the real thing. No matter how beautiful something is, it is tainted and forever obscured by sin. What we perceive as amazing is far less than ordinary when compared to the original God had in mind when He created the necessary parts of which it consists.

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This isn’t an esoteric discussion; the more value we ascribe to things of the here and now, the less desire we will feel for things of eternity. Until we recognize the world we are striving for far outshines the one in which we live, we will remain too firmly anchored to the realm of death and confusion.
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