Even If i Walk Alone

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

Daily Life

Are You Doing Enough?

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Am I doing enough? It’s a question I ask myself over and over again – and often! I talk about being completely sold out to Jesus, but do I myself measure up? When I close my eyes each night, can I honestly say that I have lived my life that day in the best way I possibly could to reflect the glory of God to the world around me? If I cannot answer yes, then I am haunted by the realization that my actions – or lack thereof – may have prevented someone from seeing their need for Jesus Christ. Everywhere I go, I am an ambassador for Christ and I am responsible for each soul I encounter. I don’t have the option to look the other way or pretend not to notice. I am a follower of Jesus so I am obligated to serve those in need. The fact of the matter is that we all squander opportunities and waste precious time that we should be using to touch the life of someone else. We cannot live lives of perfection, but we should never stop striving to do so.

Every day of our lives must be spent in service to God. That is what it means to be a follower of Jesus. We are to be devoted to His causes and His mission; nothing else matters. Our dreams and ambitions must be pursued only insofar as they can be used to bring others to Christ. He has given us skills and talents in a combination that is unique to each person. These gifts are to be used for the sole purpose of reflecting His love and directing people to Jesus. We are not to pursue piling up money unless it is for the sole purpose of giving it to others in need. We are not to engage in a life of travel unless it for the sole purpose of spreading the love of Jesus around the world. It is your life and your passion, but they are to be used for His purpose. When you give your life to Jesus, you give up your claim to everything. From that point forward, everything you do, every word you say, is pledged to be for His glory. It goes without saying that we will stumble and miss the mark at times; it also goes without saying that we must quickly get up and set about our pursuit anew. His mission must be our passion. If it is not, we need to do some very serious soul searching to determine if we are truly His follower or not.

Being a Christian, a true disciple, is not a matter of saying a certain prayer and then just coasting for the rest of our days on earth. Where you spend eternity depends on whether you truly love and reflect Jesus to the world. By truly loving and being devoted to Christ, we are covered by His grace. It is our faith in His grace that will cause us to follow wherever He leads and to do the things He told us to do. Scripture tells us that faith without works is dead, and works without faith is futile (James 2:14-26; Hebrews 11:6). Without both faith and works, we will not see the gates of Heaven. Again, this isn’t about a one-time prayer, it is about a life-long commitment. If we have been blessed with money and don’t care for the poor, I believe Scripture is clear that we will not see Heaven (Ezekiel 16:49; Matthew 25:31-46). We don’t have brilliant careers because we are blessed by God; we have brilliant careers so we can bless others. We must never forget our purpose in life. Our purpose is God’s mission.

How about you? Do you, like me, get a sick feeling in the pit of your stomach when reflecting on the way you have lived out your devotion to Christ? Do you feel like I do, that you could be doing more, that you aren’t living a life that fully reflects His glory? We have work to do and time is running out; there is not a moment to lose. Reflect and reevaluate the way you are living your life. Are you doing all you can?

Being On Mission for Christ

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It has often been stated both here and elsewhere that one of the primary challenges facing Christianity today is that we are known less for what we are for than for what we are against. Certainly there are things from which we who follow Christ must refrain. We should not engage in activities that do not mirror the love, beauty and glory of God. We were created and called to reflect Him, so any time we spend doing things that are antithetical to God, we are living outside of His will for our lives. Being a positive sort of guy, I’d like to concentrate more on the things for which we should be known. Frequent readers will recognize that we have covered much of this before, but each of us needs to constantly remind ourselves of why we are here. If we could keep our mission in the forefront of our mind, we would not waste so many hours asking questions like, “Why am I here?”, and “What should I do with my life?”

The reason we are on this earth is to glorify God by doing the things He told us to do (these are the things for which Christians should be known) in a way that reflects His love by serving others. We must all be seeking ways each day to help out someone in need, whether that means offering a helping hand, a kind word or some hard-earned cash. All of us have something to offer in service to another, and it is our duty to give what we have. There are no exemptions in life for those who are committed to following Jesus.

There are attributes we must model as individuals to reflect the glory of God. We are told to be humble, gentle and patient (Ephesians 4:2). Our lives should be marked by truthfulness and dignity (Ephesians 4:25, 28). Any words that come from our lips should be uplifting and positive, spoken to help strengthen and encourage others (Ephesians 4:29, 31-32). Christ modeled each of these traits even under intense persecution; we certainly should do no less within our comfortable lives.

Then there are the things we must do among our fellow believers. We should always be focused on keeping unity within the Church (Ephesians 4:3). Our lives should be marked by peace and not strife, because we all serve the same God (Ephesians 4:3-6). We have enough trials being thrust upon us by those who do not share our beliefs; we don’t need to add insult to injury by piling on from within our own body. Petty arguments have no place among followers of Jesus. We must remain focused on the mission and not allow ourselves to get caught up in things that have no eternal value.

Finally we are instructed to move outside of ourselves and our inner circles and serve the world around us. We are to give from our excess so that none goes without food, shelter or clothing. A special emphasis is required towards orphans and widows (James 1:27) which implies those who are most vulnerable and cannot help themselves. We have enough resources within the Western church to totally eliminate hunger from this world. We have the resources to make certain that everyone has access to clean drinking water. Yet the statistics do not lie; we simply are not choosing to get it done.

Let’s begin to change the perception of Christianity throughout our world. Let’s make the argument based on what we stand for rather than on what we stand against. Every one of us has a vital role to play in this endeavor. If each of us were to start doing the things for which Christ created and commanded us to do, we would quickly revolutionize our societies. If we would simply carry on the mission of Jesus, the one to whom we all claim to be committed, we would turn our cities upside down. We are the called and chosen. We are the ones who have sworn allegiance to the King. Will we now take up our crosses, follow Him, and change the world?

Who Defines You?

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Napoleon Hill once wrote that “it seems to be human nature for people to live up to the reputation others give them”. I’m confident you would agree with that statement. We have all seen people who have been repeatedly told they were “good for nothing” and they end up living passive lives, far below their true potential. Conversely, I’ve seen people of very ordinary talent achieve extraordinary things simply because they were surrounded by people who believed in them and told them they would succeed. I’m often drawn back to a lyric by John Lawry which states simply that “we are what we are, and that’s what we allow”. We are affected by the voices around us, and quite often we allow ourselves to be defined by the opinions of others. I have read of countless doctors and lawyers, people who are successful by the standards of society, who are actually miserable because they are living a life created for them by the expectations of others rather than a life based on their own passions. Those to whom you listen will have a profound impact on the way you live, so it is vital to choose carefully who you allow to speak into your life.

As followers of Jesus, the person to whom we should listen to most is Christ Himself. Only He can tell us exactly who we were created to become. Regardless of what others may say, only He knows our true potential and capabilities. He has placed gifts and passions within each of us that are as unique as snowflakes and as personal as fingerprints. No one else possesses the beautiful mixture of talents and abilities that reside within each one of us. For too long we have listened to voices other than Jesus that have caused us to hide, bury, or even discard pieces of whom we are. We become broken, discouraged and in possession of a self image that is anything but the truth. There is hope, however, because the damage is not fatal. We can choose to begin to reassemble the pieces at any time in our lives. We need only to stop listening to the world around us, and instead turn our attention to the voice within.

Not one person is here by accident. We are all created with a soul that longs to commune with God and to express His love to others. We begin to get in trouble when we start listening to the opinions of who others say we are. Instead of being special creations immensely loved by God, we become societal failures who contribute little to society. Instead of being victors and overcomers we choose to believe we are losers who can never get ahead. We are living up to a reputation ascribed to us by others. Why would we choose to believe what imperfect, selfish and jealous people say about us rather than accept the words of the One who created us? We are marked by God, created to do good things, to reflect His glory to the very ones who try and drag us down. We need to stop listening to those who only wish to make us feel inferior so that they might feel better about themselves. Instead, we need to listen to the One who loves us more than His own life.

It is a well researched fact that you will become like those with whom you choose to associate. We all choose to whom we will listen, but these choices need not be permanent; we can choose at any moment to disassociate with the naysayers and begin to listen to the One who created us. If you’re going to live up to a reputation that someone else gives you, make sure the one you are listening to is God. If you change who you listen to, you will change yourself. Change yourself and you just might change the world.

The Face of Poverty

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Coming face to face with poverty is a sobering experience. Looking into the hollow eyes and empty souls of those who live on the fringes of our society I am reminded of Isaiah 58. In this passage, God very clearly articulates what he expects of us. These are words and commands for every one of us, not just the super-spiritual. If you want to be a true follower of Jesus, then you are going to have to do the things the Father expects us to do. Don’t fast to deprive yourself of something; fast to provide something for someone in need. No one is more in need than those who simply do not have the money to survive. We must work to restore their respect and dignity.

So much evil permeates those in poverty. The results of poor decisions triggered by drugs, alcohol or simply living for the moment, span generations and reverberate throughout communities. Satan delights in feeding the frustration with spirits of laziness and sickness. Once wickedness has permeated a community, it is nearly impossible to kick it out. Fortunately, impossible is not a word in the vocabulary of God. All things are possible through Him. Since we know that with His strength we can root out the evil from our communities, it becomes our responsibility to take action. Whether that means advocating for the people or actually moving to live among them will depend on the situation. What we must remain cognizant of is the commandment of God that says we should be breaking the chains of wickedness. Share a smile, lend a hand, and give them your heart; take the light of Jesus into the dark and broken places of our world.

Poverty is a form of slavery. Many of those who are underemployed work long hours and receive little pay. They will never get ahead, yet they must keep working in order to feed their families. They are trapped in a system that is designed to make them fail. We can help. America is the most affluent nation the world has ever known. The Western Church has been blessed in ways unlike any other time in history. We have the means to redeem people from the slavery of poverty. We have the programs and the know-how. We simply lack the will to give up our own comfort in sacrifice for another. As Keith Green so aptly said years ago, “Jesus rose from the dead and you can’t even get out of bed”. It should be our honor to lend a hand to someone in need so that they too can begin to enjoy freedom.

We are to share our food with the poor. There is not a single Christ follower who has the right to live in excess while there are people in this world without food. It is contrary to everything Jesus taught. We are commanded to bring the homeless into our homes, but instead we have empty beds in guest rooms that we keep locked tightly behind home alarm systems. We go to great lengths to keep out the very ones we are told to bring in. The type of life God desires is one that would see us clothing the naked when we see them. There are children living in garbage dumps in this world wearing little to no clothing. We don’t often see these pictures on the evening news because it is far too inconvenient to be bothered with images such as these. Besides, if we became more aware, we might begin to feel somewhat obligated to do something. Meanwhile our closets grow daily as we strive to live in ignorance to the world around us.

Finally, Isaiah 58 teaches us that we must not neglect our own flesh and blood. Despite the apparent trend of modern times, families were meant to live relationally with one another. If anyone in your family is in need and you do not reach out to help them, you are disobeying what God has told us to do. We are to look after and care for our family, regardless of our own feelings. We must care for them out of love and respect for our common lineage.

I encourage you to read Isaiah, chapter 58. It is foundational for a life that reflects the glory of God. We are called to continue the mission of Jesus Christ. Isaiah 58 is the blueprint; it tells us all we need to know in order to live a life that shines brightly for Christ. Don’t get caught up in useless traditions that do nothing to truly impact the souls of the ones who hear. Instead, immerse yourself in Isaiah 58 and pray to discover how you might be able to become one who follows the battle plan. Don’t make it harder than it is; we each have our marching orders. Get out there and change the world.

Fully Alive

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Dead end jobs, contentious relationships and a lack of money; everyday there seems to be some new crisis cropping up that steals our joy and keeps us stressed out and looking to throw in the towel. Far from living the full, abundant life that Christ promised, we live our lives frustrated and depressed, angry and broken. We love Jesus and believe everything He told us, so where is the peace we thought He’d bring? It is at this point that many will actually turn away from their faith or become marginalized Christians who only give lip service to their Christianity. This isn’t what we bargained for, so we throw up our hands and walk away from the kingdom of God in search of the comforts of this life and the promise of the American dream. How tragic; this should not be the way for followers of Christ. We claim to believe in the power of His resurrection and the wisdom of His direction, but we live lives that are dispassionate, weak, and characterized by aimless wandering.

We will find the peace and direction we seek when we return to seeking the object of our innermost desire. We will find rest when we cease striving and purpose when we surrender. Christianity is a great paradox, a dichotomy of perplexing proportions. Put simply, it makes no sense to our common understanding. Therein lies the beauty; we only win when we lose, and we gain only when we release all that we have. As long as we are living for our own dreams and aspirations, we will continue to meet with failure and frustration. When we commit our lives to Christ, we surrender all that we are in order that He might glorify Himself through us, and recreate us in the image He originally designed us to have. Our old ways of thinking and our past activities are now over; we must agree to develop new habits, thought patterns and purpose for our lives. As we begin to seek a life lived fully for Jesus, our true passions will be stirred and fed by His Spirit. Life will begin to take on its full flavor and zest.

The key to a life well lived is to live solely for His purposes. We cannot expect to find joy and contentment by promising our life to Him and then spending the rest of our time on earth trying to wrestle it back. Jesus invites all to come to Him, but He forces no one. If you do not want to follow Jesus, walk away and try things on your own. Let me know how that works out for you. Apart from Jesus you cannot ever fulfill what you were designed to be. You may achieve a modicum of success in your career and live a life that is full of pleasure and possessions, but deep inside there will remain a hunger that cannot be fed. We are spiritual beings created to live in communion with our Spirit Creator. Without an open line of communication with God, we will never find true peace, true joy or lasting happiness.

Following Jesus is not a way to rid ourselves of every trial and problem we face. As long as we live on this fallen planet, the compounding effect of generations of sin will ensure that our life is far from peaceful or without complication. We must recognize that external forces can do nothing to damage our eternal soul. If we will live our lives wholly focused and committed to Jesus, we will find inner peace, a spirit of rest, and a joy that wells up from within and can’t be contained. When you begin to feel stressed out and overwhelmed, it is a fairly good indication that you have lost focus and taken your eyes off of Jesus. The surest way to overcome a bout of discouragement is to focus on Jesus by confessing your shortcomings and thanking Him for His love and the blessings in your life. Another foolproof way to pull oneself out of the doldrums is to get up and go serve someone else for no other reason than the fact that Jesus loves them. We cannot be focused on, or acting in service to, Jesus Christ and continue to be discouraged. He will always grant us rest and give us a sense of purpose. Do you want to live a life of passion and significance? Remember your commitment to God; throw off your selfish pursuits and desires, live your life with the singular purpose and focus of obeying and reflecting Jesus Christ. Without Christ there is no life, there is only death. Only by following Jesus and obeying everything He instructs us to do will we be able to live a life that is fully alive.