Even If i Walk Alone

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

Becoming a Person of Character

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Every day, we are being watched by other people whether we realize it or not. Those whom we have never met are constantly forming opinions of us. Take an honest look at the way you view the world around you; we all make snap judgments of others based on experience, prejudice or jealousy. The man in the sharp suit is successful, the woman in the low cut blouse is a tramp; the dark-skinned boy is a thug or the light-skinned boy is a dishonest schemer. All this and more from we who profess to follow the teachings of the One who told us not to judge.

J.C. Watts said that “Character is doing the right thing when nobody’s looking.” Follow that up with this quote from Thomas Paine: “Character is much easier kept than recovered.” If we are going to be observed and judged by people throughout our day, and we desire to reflect the life of Christ, we must become people of impeccable character. I don’t believe any of us would doubt the character of Jesus. He lived a life marked by the highest morality and the highest character. While He may have set the bar at an unattainable level, we should nevertheless strive to reach His marker.

The first step in developing a solid character is to build it on the strongest of foundations – Jesus Christ. If we don’t base everything we do on Jesus, no matter what we do will eventually fail. Jesus is the truth, in Him alone is life. To start with Jesus is to guarantee success in your life. A life that ends in the arms of Jesus cannot possibly be called a failure! When the daily stress of life beats against you, you will need to be anchored in the truth, anchored in someone stronger than yourself. You build on this foundation by developing positive character traits. These traits are the same ones that were modeled by Jesus: humility, truthfulness, honesty, graciousness, compassion, integrity, love, peace and joy. These traits can be developed; they aren’t something you are born with. You must work to incorporate them as habits into your life.

You cannot fake a good character, at least not for long. Most will immediately identify you for the fraud that you are; others will discover it over time. To be certain, you will eventually be found out and humiliated in some fashion or another. It does no good to fake the traits of good character. Instead, work hard to develop each of the habits in your life. Your desire to become a person of character starts with maintaining a positive mindset through all adversity. Positive people are simply more attractive people. You must determine in your own mind that you will begin to cultivate the habits of good character. Once you have set your mind to the task, practice incorporating these traits into your life each and every day. Simply making the decision to be a person of character will reap immediate rewards in your life. You will suddenly find yourself choosing to do the right things for the simple reason that it is the right thing to do. You will be on your way to becoming a person of character.

Does character really matter in the grand scheme of things? Shouldn’t we just focus on reading the Bible and telling others about Jesus? Don’t forget, our goal is to live a life that looks like Jesus. Since Jesus had the highest character, this is why it is important that we too have a strong character. The way we live is our most powerful witnessing tool. When people admire us and desire to be more like us, they really desire to be more like Jesus, because it is He that shines through us. So yes, reading the Bible is vital, as well as telling others about Him. There is no stronger way to tell someone about Christ than to be a person of character that reflects our King in everything that we do.

Your Support System

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We were not meant to walk this path alone. As Christ demonstrated by engaging a band of friends to walk with Him, so we also must surround ourselves with those with whom we can share the journey. Sometimes it is hard to admit that we need help, and we attempt to go it alone. Indeed, there are times when none will go with us, but that is merely an opportunity to meet new friends who are already further along the road than we are. Remember, the goal is to model the life of Christ, and He chose to walk with a group of friends. Having established this, we must be very careful and intentional about whom we will choose as travelling companions.

It is very important that we select friends and role models that have a positive outlook. I’ve talked much about a positive attitude recently, but that only underscores the importance of having such an outlook. We live in a fallen world; evil and despair surround us. We are besieged every day by negative input from others and from our own experiences. When we are discouraged or depressed it is vital to be able to turn to those who can provide some clarity to our situation and help us walk through the minefields. We have more to look forward to than any other people on earth; we know how this ends, and it ends in the arms of Jesus. Therefore we need positive, faithful and Christ loving friends to help keep us motivated and to restore our perspective when we become lost.

Don’t choose to travel with those who are content with mediocrity. Jesus is the standard of excellence, and we must strive to reach the bar He has set for us. If your friends are the types who believe doing something “good enough” is indeed good enough, then you need new friends! Imagine building a house for someone who is homeless and deciding to build it just “good enough”. That is not the standard of service to which Jesus calls us. Jesus demands our all… all the time. Do everything you do as if you were doing it for Jesus Himself. Would you really cut corners or settle for “good enough” if you were doing something directly for Him? No, of course you wouldn’t. Besides, whatever we do for anyone in need, it’s the same as doing it for Christ. Keep this in mind as you go throughout your journey.

The Christian life is hard, and we will face many trials and defeats. Failures are merely the lessons of success. Don’t run from failure, but rather rejoice in it because with each failure you are one step closer to success. Since we are victors in Christ, failure is not a valid reality. Don’t focus on your failures. Learn from them, certainly, but do not linger too long in their midst. Instead, at regular intervals recount your blessings and the successes God has brought to your life. This was the Israelite tradition in the Old Testament. They would often gather together and tell the stories of the various trials God had brought them through and rejoice in the victories He had given them. There is no failure in Christ, only victory. We cannot focus on Christ and failure at the same time; they are polar opposites.

Find some companions with whom to travel as you follow the path set before you by Christ. Choose them wisely. Choose those who will encourage you and help you through the trials. Don’t accept or associate with mediocrity, but rather serve mediocrity with excellence. Be excellent for Christ, do everything with the knowledge that you are doing it for Him. Make a habit of looking back over the road you have travelled. Praise Him for the success He has given you, and thank him for the lessons of what, at the time, looked like failure. Surround yourself with like minded followers of Jesus. Stay focused on Christ; enjoy the adventure of walking together in the footsteps of our Savior and our King.

Your Mental Attitude

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Being a true follower of Christ means that our lives will be lived in such a way that others cannot help but notice. We will touch the ones that Jesus would touch, and be a servant to all. We will be filled with such passion that we will glide easily through our days, and our nights will be filled with restful sleep. This is the goal to which we aspire. How do we achieve such a state; how do we reach this level of commitment? It begins by changing our attitudes about life; we must change our personal philosophy if we are ever to achieve a close fellowship with God. Our culture has conditioned us to acquire many habits and beliefs that are simply incongruent with following Jesus. Today I want to discuss some destructive mental attitudes that will keep us from living the life we desire to live.

In Western culture in particular, we have become a very selfish people. One of the first questions we need to ask ourselves is “Do we consider the feelings of others, or are we more often concerned only with ourselves?” Take a moment to think back over your day; in fact make a habit of reviewing the day’s events each night before you go to bed. How did you treat other people? Did you put the needs of others before your own? Were you selfish in your actions, operating out of a mindset that was self-seeking? Did you behave in a manner in which you would want others to behave towards you? Jesus lived a life of service to others. He put the needs of others ahead of his own desires. How are we measuring up to the standard He set for us?

Another mental attitude we must check is our attitude toward the actions of others. Do we try and find the good in every person and in every situation, or are we quick to condemn others for their faults? It is much easier to find fault with someone rather than finding good. By finding fault we are able to mask our own shortcomings and exalt our own capabilities. Instead of operating with this mindset, what if we instead readily exposed our own faults while expressing admiration for the talents of others? Instead of finding weakness by default, let us practice the habit of praising the strengths of others as we converse with them. Instill in yourself the rule that you must offer something positive to every encounter before you allow yourself to say anything negative. Jesus lived a life in which He built up those around Him. He encouraged those without hope and brought healing to those in despair. Let us live our lives in the same manner.

Finally, what is our reaction when things go wrong, when they do not go as planned? Are we quick to find people or reasons on which to shift the blame? Do we lash out, making every excuse as to why we failed? Most do not like to be around negative people. Always placing blame on others is a very negative trait and does not lead to a winsome personality, a personality that reflects Jesus. Take responsibility for your own actions and failures. Seek solutions to the problems, learn from your failures and search for the root cause of your mistakes. What could you have done differently? Who could you have asked for help? What advice did you ignore? Always take full responsibility for yourself. Never place the blame on others because deep down we all know it is we who are to blame. By becoming constant learners and working diligently toward our goals, we will achieve them. Then we will need no one to blame. Jesus lived a life of full accountability, accepting responsibility not only for his own actions but for the actions of others as well. He is our model.

How’s your mental attitude? Are you modeling the life of Christ? Do you put the needs of others before your own? Do you seek to find the good in others rather than finding fault? Finally, do you accept responsibility for your actions or do you seek to place blame? Living a life that looks like Jesus is not easy. It requires asking ourselves some tough questions and being prepared to make the changes necessary in order to better reflect the love of God. Many will give up and say it’s too difficult. Many will refuse to change, and in so doing turn away from the One who gave His life for them. Don’t turn away; check your mental attitudes and make the necessary corrections. Diligently seek to live a life that looks like Jesus and you will find the life, the love, the peace, the rest and the joy that your soul has craved since your birth.

True Surrender

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In Christianity there is much talk about the concept of surrender. Indeed, acts of surrender are the foundation of our faith. God surrendered absolute control when he gave freewill to his creation; He surrendered His own Son as a means to save that same creation from themselves; Jesus surrendered His life so that a humanity destined for Hell might live. While He walked on this earth, Jesus implored those who would follow Him to surrender everything to do so. That same call remains today.

So what exactly does true surrender look like? With Easter nearing, many Christians are celebrating a season of Lent. During this time it is customary for them to give up or surrender something they cherish, usually expressed as a certain food or activity. Is this what true surrender looks like? Or perhaps surrender means simply abstaining from the traditional “sins” of modern Christendom: smoking, swearing, dancing or gambling? Is this surrender? What of those Christ followers that do not subscribe to the aforementioned beliefs, are they lacking in some way so as not to be surrendered to Christ?

I believe a life lived in true surrender is a life lived in reverent awe of our God. Traditionally this has been referred to as “the fear of the Lord”. I read an absolutely outstanding definition of what it means to fear the Lord in the notes of my study Bible (since the actual author of the note is not identified, I will source my study Bible in full, The Apologetics Study Bible). There it is defined as “The worship of, and respectful submission to, the authority of God in every area of our life”. I believe a life lived in this manner will be a life lived in total surrender to God. It is a life in which we hold nothing back. Whatever we were or may have become has now been replaced with a life that honors God, a life that allows others to see Jesus through us.

Are you ready for this kind of surrender? Can you honestly say that you will put everything aside for Him? If not, what’s holding you back? What is it about your life that you don’t want to give up? Ask yourself, “is this thing more important to me than Jesus?” If you had to choose between that which you do not wish to give up and Jesus, what would your choice be? That may seem overly harsh or dramatic, but Jesus did not consider such a choice too great or dramatic for us. Are we followers of Christ or merely observers? Are we imitators or admirers?

We must each choose which path we will follow in life. If we should choose to follow Christ, the path is too narrow to allow baggage of any kind. That is why Jesus tells us we’ll have to give it all up and place it on Him. Only He is strong enough to shoulder the load on such a narrow way. Are we willing to surrender everything we have, all that we are in order to follow Jesus on the road He travels? The choice is ours, but it must be made. Are you ready to surrender every area of your life to Him? If not, why not? Will you remain a wishful admirer of Jesus or are you ready to imitate Christ in all you do? He demands true and total surrender; what is your response?


Live Each Day with Passion

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What drives you? What gives you the fuel to get up each morning? Hopefully as followers of Christ, a desire to serve Him and to learn more about Him is enough to get us sufficiently jazzed each day. But too many people, even those of us pursuing Christ, are content to live their lives on cruise control. Life is not an adventure, but rather more of a treadmill. I do not believe this is what God had in mind. Our God is passionate and creative; He is daring and adventurous. Study the Bible and watch how He interjects Himself into the lives of His creation. God has many attributes, but boredom surely is not one of them!

I came across an old blog post by Kevin Kelly last week (see “My Life Countdown”) that really made me think. In the post, Kevin talks about how he consulted a couple of web sites that estimate how long you will live, based on statistical trends. He then used a program to calculate how long he (in theory) had left to live. Taking it a step further, he now has a clock on his computer counting down his remaining time on earth. Now, at first blush this might strike one as a bit macabre or morbid. Upon thinking it through further, I found it to be inspiring. What if we were to constantly live with a keen sense of how much time we had remaining? I think it would cause us to more seriously evaluate each decision we make.

We often do not seize opportunities before us because we’re either too afraid or we assume there will be time later to engage in the activity. We do not live with a conscious awareness of how fleeting our time on earth really is. If you knew you had 72 hours to live, would you not make different choices today than you would otherwise? If you knew you had only a year to live, would you not be more willing to try new things and experience more adventure before you died? For the vast majority of us, the answer is an unequivocal “Yes!” So why wait? Why not live each day with such urgency and passion as to truly know what it means to be alive? What are we afraid of? Again, God is passionate and creative; He has instilled these same traits within each of us. Why not put such creativity and passion to use and begin today to live each day as if you are running out of time?

It is important to remember why you have been given the gifts that you have. Our purpose on earth is to serve others, tell them about Jesus, and do all that we can to bring a measure of God’s kingdom down here to earth. It is for these things that we are to use our passion and creativity. As we seize new opportunities and put away fear, we must always keep the end goal in mind. Be kind and compassionate at all times, and be forgiving of each other. This will develop a winsome personality in each of us and we’ll be people that others want to associate with and even emulate; then we can point them to Christ. As you live your life with urgency, concentrate on performing acts of service. Jesus is our example as always. He lived a life of passion and creativity, He lived it with urgency, and He lived it in service to others. As we attack each day with purpose and without fear, we will exhibit a new vitality. This is how we were meant to live, and God will be glorified by our fulfilling the purpose for which He created us.

Perhaps you should get your own countdown clock; perhaps you are ready to live life at fast forward to the glory of God. Or maybe the countdown clock is a bit much for you; maybe you are simply ready to begin living life with more passion and less fear. I don’t know where you are today, but I do know this: time is ticking down for each of us. With every breath, precious seconds are removed from our stint on earth. What will you do with the time you have left? Seize the urgency of the finiteness of time. Put away your fear and launch yourself into the great adventure that God has laid before you. Live a life bursting with passionate creativity. Do all these things to the glory of God and in service to others. The clock is ticking…