Even If i Walk Alone

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

Daily Life

The Way, the Truth and the Life

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Jesus said that He is the way, the truth and the life. Truth and life are found only in Him, and the way we find these things is by living in the way He commands us. There is no alternate truth and no alternate life. We can believe the things He said and live, or reject His words and perish. These thoughts can be very divisive and are often seen as intolerant, but Jesus did not come to bring tolerance; He came to bring redemption and love to all who would believe and walk in His way. People want to believe that there are many truths or perhaps many paths to truth, but this belief is diametrically opposed to what Jesus said. There is no “and” or “or” to finding life; there is only Jesus.

This is a simple teaching, yet one that is hard to accept. The fact that there is only one way to truth and life makes it fairly easy to make the right choice. We don’t have ten different paths to confuse our decision; there is only one. Yet this teaching is difficult because we want to go our own way. We want to blaze our own trail, and having to succumb to the ways of another finds us wanting to rebel. The narrow path is brightly lit and lined with people who have gone before us who are there to keep us from stumbling off the road. Yet we are stubbornly intent on walking down the wider path, even though it is dimly lit and has dangerous cliffs on either side. When one takes a moment to step back and logically examine the choices, which way we should go becomes painfully obvious.

Jesus is the only way, and everything He says is true. While we can debate the finer points of modern church organization and disagree over worship styles and evangelism methods, Jesus is not up for disputation. He is who He said He was, and His instructions are clear. Throughout the Bible we find the common theme of caring for the poor and seeking justice for all people. We see that love is the greatest gift and the most powerful weapon. Love, justice, and mercy; these characteristics are the truth of Jesus. Paul said in I Corinthians chapter 13 that we can have all there is, but if we lack love then everything else becomes futile and worthless. If we don’t have love, then we don’t have truth. If we don’t have truth, we don’t have Jesus.

If we possess and practice love as Christ did, we will find the life that only He can offer. The love of Jesus is unconditional and unselfish. It is much different from the so-called love we find in the world today. We have so carelessly tossed around the word “love” that we have stripped it of its beauty and meaning. We say we love ice cream, football, surround sound, and sex; no wonder we’re confused by what it means to truly love as Jesus did. Serving others, having compassion on the poor, selflessly denying yourself so that someone else might have what they otherwise would not – this is the love modeled by Jesus. Until we learn to love as He did, we will lack truth and be unable to find our way along the path that leads to life.

Where do you find yourself today? Do you believe that Jesus is the only truth, the only salvation for mankind? Do you understand what it means to walk in the way that He did? Where are you in regards to living your life in love and service to others? These are questions of eternal importance. Where you spend eternity hinges on your answers to these questions. Jesus said that without Him, we will die. If we trust in His truth and live in love as we walk the road He travelled before us, we will find life in Him. If you have been seeking truth outside of Jesus, confess that to Him in prayer today. Acknowledge that you’ve missed the mark and have been walking on the wrong path. Ask Him to teach you to live in love and accept the truth of who He is today. Determine to never turn away, and ask Him to lead you along the way of truth. Walk in His love and His truth and you will find life eternally through Him.

The Root of Sin

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Recently Daron Earlewine, one of the pastors at the fellowship I attend (East 91st Street Christian Church), made the statement that the root of all sin is discontent and ingratitude. The more I considered that thought, the more I became convinced that he is right. How sad this is in our privileged and comfortable lifestyle in the Western world. You would think that we, more than any other people, would be ridiculously grateful for the country in which we were born and for the privileges afforded to us. Beyond that, as Christians it is hard to imagine not being eternally thankful for the sacrifice of God’s Son and for the opportunity to serve Him with every breath of our lives. Since we all still engage in sinful behavior, we are faced with the reality that despite all our blessings, we continue to live a life of discontent and ingratitude.

Why are we discontent? What is it that we wish we had that we perceive to be lacking? Most who read this blog are from countries that have at least a modicum of freedom; they aren’t destitute and in all probability are extremely well off compared to the majority of people on the planet. Yet we are discontent and want more; more money, more recognition and more stuff. We live as if everything revolved around us rather than around the one we call Lord of our life. Jesus is more than enough for any of us. He provides love beyond measure, rest when we are weary, and peace for our troubled hearts. If we place our trust in Him, faithfully serve Him and do what He commands us to do, He will reward us with eternal life spent with Him. What part of that equation is unappealing? What more could we want? Still, we trade eternal perfection for temporal imperfection every day, simply because we are too selfish and immature to defer our own selfish gratification. Herein lies our sin; we refuse to honor God by giving our lives to His service and living as Jesus did. We sin because we are infantile and refuse to grow, content to wallow in our selfish pursuit of fleeting pleasure.

Our discontent is easily, though inexplicably, identified; but what about our sense of ingratitude? Why do we who have so much for which to be thankful, languish in a life of bitterness and delusion? We are blessed beyond measure yet live as if we deserve everything we have, and in fact, deserve more. We take for granted those things that have been entrusted to us and find no joy in our journey. Instead of being thankful for the good things that come into our lives, we remain cynical and watch for the other shoe to drop. Rather than accepting a gracious compliment, we seek to uncover an ulterior motive. Cynicism steals our satisfaction and drains all comfort from our life. We become jaded to the beauty that surrounds us and fail to see the wonder of creation. Bitterness invades our relationships and soon we lose what we once loved most. A person who refuses to be thankful for what they have ends up broken and alone; this is not the life God intends for us to live.

As Christ-followers our goal is to eliminate the sin from our lives. It is a daunting task that we cannot even approach without the power of God. Knowing the root of sin should help us break it down a bit and determine strategies for dealing with our rebellion. Don’t be discontent with all the blessings in your life. Recognize all you have been given for your pleasure and to use for the glory of God. Don’t wish for more of what this world can offer; desire more of what Jesus can give. Be thankful for everything He has done for you, the beauty of His creation and the enormity of His love. If you practice thankfulness in your life you will find it nearly impossible to be discontent. Simply put, gratitude trumps discontent, and contentment eliminates ingratitude. At its root, our sin problem is an attitude issue. Practice being thankful and you will find your walk with Christ both satisfying and fulfilling. Jesus gives us everything we need to passionately pursue Him and further His mission. Always be mindful of what He has done for you and all He has entrusted to you. Watch out for the root of all sin; guard your attitude against discontentment and ingratitude.

Spiritual Leaks

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I believe most people who decide to become followers of Jesus are very sincere in their desire. We all start out very excited and determined to follow Him; generally after making the commitment we are quick to tell others about our decision as well. Then life sets in and the day to day doldrums that encompassed everything we did before prove to have not magically disappeared. Our excitement may wane a bit as we find less and less time to devote to praying and studying the Bible. Convincing ourselves that our commitment will override the need for concentrated effort, we continue on our path, much as we did before giving our lives over to Jesus. It’s not that we intend to fall away or even that we are mired in sin; it’s simply that we’ve lost our focus, let down our guard, and allowed the pressures of life to steal our enthusiasm and our zeal. We’re drifting and we’re not even sure how it happened.

Like a tire with a slow leak, we can go about our way for quite some time without ever realizing there’s a problem. When we do notice something amiss, we read a good book or listen to some music to pump us back up and head out on our way again. But just as ignoring a tire with a slow leak will eventually leave us broken down with a flat somewhere in the middle of nowhere, so too will unattended spiritual leaks leave us feeling dissatisfied and wandering in the wilderness of life. A little slip here, a loss of focus there, and suddenly our once devoted life has succumbed to the temptations of the world and we are no longer living for Christ at all. It is vital that we do not let our guard down for even a moment; small cracks become big problems down the road if we don’t tend to them. As soon as we recognize we have gotten off course, we need to immediately repent and pray for direction to get back on the right path. It’s also important to take a few moments and reflect on how you got pushed off track. What deceptions and devices were used? Learning the tactics of the enemy will help you fend off future attacks and help you recognize your vulnerabilities; this informs you of the areas in your life that need improvement.

It’s rarely the huge, cataclysmic events that cause us to veer away from following Christ but rather the small, barely perceptible shifts of focus that are our downfall. It’s the friend who hurts our feelings and so we harbor a grudge; it’s the boss who squashes our enthusiasm until we decide to no longer excel and simply do an average job; it’s the everyday things in life that lead to discouragement, jealousy and anger. When you are experiencing emotions that are not part of God’s character, you are causing cracks to form in your life, cracks that allow the spiritual leaking to begin. Remember that no one can cause you to feel any of these negative emotions without your permission. You must discipline your mind to reject feelings that do not align with your purpose in life. If someone wrongs you, forgive them and move on. Life is too short to waste time dealing with the thoughts thrust upon us by others. We have a mission to carry out and have no time left to lose. Ephesians 5:15-17 tells us to make the most of the time because the days are evil so we should discern what the will of the Lord is. The will of the Lord is to put aside petty differences and to go into the entire world telling others about Jesus while serving those in need. That is how we are to live our lives.

Be careful about letting cracks form in your heart. Spiritual leaks are silent and insidious killers of the soul. Without diligent focus and attention to our emotions and reactions we can easily find our joy depleted and our lives broken down and useless. Constantly recharge yourself through prayer, study and associating with others who share your beliefs. Salve your wounds by serving others; there is no quicker way to patch a crack than to be about the mission to which you are called. Staying on purpose hardens our resolve and makes the cracks less likely to appear.

Are you suffering from spiritual leaks? Take an honest look at your life and ask God to patch the holes and get you back on the road toward pursuing Him. Mind your focus and steel your resolve; guard your thoughts and learn to improve the weak areas of your life. Preventing the cracks in the first place is the best defense against spiritual leaks.

Betting the Farm on Jesus

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As I began gathering my thoughts and praying about my goals for next year, I suddenly became aware of a very obvious but often underlying point. Everything I am considering, the core around which I am planning every action, is Jesus Christ. I have reached a point in my life where this is becoming as natural as breathing to me. No longer am I making plans based on what my whims and desires might be or setting my aspirations on making a significant amount of money. No, everything revolves around Jesus. My dreams are to do things that will draw others to him. My joy comes from the thought of freeing the oppressed and seeing the name of Jesus taught to all nations and people groups. I don’t say this to point out how much I’ve grown (indeed I would argue that having been a Christian for thirty-seven years now, my progress has been ridiculously slow), but rather to say that if Jesus is not who He said He was, I am basing my life on foundation of deceit and empty words. In other words, I’m betting the farm on Jesus.

I’ve been asked how I could possibly believe the things I do. The whole story seems rather fantastic and rather imaginary, does it not? I have also been told that it takes a lot of faith to believe the way I do. As Steve Taylor once penned in a lyric, “Don’t you know by now why the chosen are few? It’s harder to believe than not to.” It’s far easier to dismiss the Biblical message and the Gospel as a fanciful story written by suspicious men of days long past. It’s easier to live a life that is accountable to no one other than yourself. Who wouldn’t enjoy the thought that we should indulge in all of the best this world has to offer? Christianity is viewed as an archaic set of rules meant to limit our freedom and subject us to judgment. Couple this with a beginning that ultimately cannot be proven, and we see why so many laugh in the face of the Gospel.

I believe that reality is the exact opposite. While the story is truly fantastic, it is no less plausible and actually far more logical than any alternative the world has offered. When accurately studied, the whole of evolution is untenable and hopelessly ridiculous. I find that it takes far more faith to believe in the magic circumstances of primordial ooze and it’s equally fortuitous progression into human kind than it does to believe in creation by a loving God who possesses intelligence far superior to our own. I find the sacrifice of Christ on man’s behalf hard to fathom from the standpoint of what we deserve, but also see it in perfect harmony with the character of God revealed in Scripture. The last thing I find in a life of following Jesus is a lack of freedom. I have never felt so free or at peace as when I am seeking Him. I never found freedom in anything the world offered, only temporary satisfaction that was quickly exchanged for long term bondage. That is not freedom! The so-called rules of Christianity are actually things we choose to do out of love for our Lord. We don’t give up or miss out on anything. Instead we bask in the glory of the love of Jesus. I have seen Him answer prayer; I have lived a life that defies explanation outside of Divine intervention. I am not sorry for, nor doubtful of, what I believe.

So I’m all in. I am betting the farm on the truth of the claims of Jesus Christ. My life will mean nothing outside of Him. Every step I take, I take with the intent to follow Him. My goals and aspirations revolve around continuing His mission. My passion is to become the person He created me to be so that I might express His love to others and work for His justice in a broken and hurting world. This allows me to face the future with an invigorated attitude and confident direction.

In what are you placing your faith? Do you have a firm foundation on which to build your life? Are you convinced that Jesus is who He said He was? True hope, true freedom, are found only in Christ. Decide today to follow Him and give Him all of your life. Your dreams and desires are safe with God. Like me, you can feel confident on betting the farm on Jesus Christ.

Risk vs. Reward

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No matter how you stack it up, life is a never ending adventure. Each day we have the opportunity to rewrite the script, to change our course and to seek new challenges. In the free nations of our world, we have the privilege of achieving high levels of success and acquiring great wealth. We can do all of these things without giving much thought to the spiritual side of life; so we risk squandering the most incredible opportunity of all, the chance to know God personally, to enjoy an intimate relationship with the one who created us. Many are afraid that if they give their lives to Christ that they will have to give up too much of what they have worked to obtain. They are afraid they will be required to sacrifice their lifestyle, their friends and their activities. The price simply seems too high.

What if we risked it all? What if we determined to live our lives full throttle for Jesus Christ? If we threw ourselves into the teeth of life with reckless abandon and didn’t care what we might lose, how then might we impact the world? Two thousand years ago, one man and twelve of his followers literally altered the course of human history forever. One man’s influence has permeated through every generation that has come after Him. A small handful of ordinary souls who devoted their lives to following Him spread His message throughout the world and thereby continued the mission to which they had been called. They risked everything; they suffered persecution, torture and even death. All this they deemed worth the cost because they knew if they endured for God’s sake, He would reward them with eternal rest and peace in His kingdom. They were willing to lose everything they had achieved and acquired for the sake of continuing the mission of Jesus Christ. They risked it all and lost everything of temporal value, yet they gained everything that could be gained; they got Jesus.

If the price still seems too high for you, that’s okay; you don’t have to pay it. You don’t have to risk everything and follow Jesus. You can continue life as you know it, acquiring more and achieving greater and greater success. You can pile up cash, purchase expensive toys and take exotic vacations. You can absolutely live your life totally devoid of anything to do with Jesus and thereby not risk losing everything you now possess. That’s great news, right? Here’s the problem. By refusing to risk it all, you are guaranteed to lose everything. This truth is spelled out very plainly in Scripture (Matthew 16:24, 25). If you are not willing to risk it all, you are assured of losing everything. You can gain all that this world has to offer and in the end it will be taken from you, you’ll be stripped naked, and you will be left alone. You will suffer an eternity that is absent of God, absent of love, and absent of redemption. You will lose it all because you were unwilling to risk everything for the person and cause of Jesus Christ. This is reality, and it is your future if you continue down the path the world chooses. What will you decide?

The risk of following Jesus is nothing compared to the certainty of not following. We can risk it all and thereby gain everything. Or, we can play it safe and lose it all. These are the two choices that we have in life, there is nothing else. You can’t risk a little and hope to gain a little in return, perhaps just enough to guarantee your comfort. It simply doesn’t work this way. Jesus said that if you are not for Him then you are against Him (Matthew 12:30). What is the greater risk, to give your life to Christ or to stand in opposition to Him? I assure you if you oppose the God of the universe, you will lose every time. It’s a no win situation, so why would you even want to go there? You can’t keep putting off your choice, because today may be the last day that you have the opportunity to choose. None of us has any guarantee of tomorrow (James 4:14). You must make the choice today, and it affects more than the rest of your life; it affects your eternity. Again I ask, what will you decide? Will you play it safe and hope for the best, and by doing so lose everything you have and all hope for salvation? Or will you risk it all, throwing yourself with abandon into the mission of Christ, no matter the cost, and gain life? The price is great and the risk is heavy, but the reward is beyond measure.