Even If i Walk Alone

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

Throw the First Stone

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Why do we as Christians have such an unhealthy reputation to the world outside of our church walls? It has long bothered me that Christians claim to love others and seek to fill the needs of their community, yet we are distrusted, dismissed and even despised. Something has gone terribly wrong; there is a disconnect somewhere of colossal proportions. How did it come to this, and what can we do to correct the situation?

In John 8 (verses 3-11) we find the familiar story of Jesus saving the life of a woman caught in adultery. The religious people of the day had seized the woman, and dragged her into the place where Jesus was teaching. Beyond this obvious humiliation, these same religious folks were preparing to put the woman to death by stoning her. As they stood there, perhaps with rocks in hand, Jesus calmly knelt beside the woman. He then said some of the most powerful words in all of Scripture: “Let the one with no sin throw the first stone.” When faced with their sinfulness, the people dropped their stones and went away.

Before Jesus changed the dynamics of the scene, the crowd of people was refusing to admit their own sinfulness. Instead of showing grace and forgiveness to the woman, they stood in judgment over her. We tend to do this often because it makes us feel better about our own failures. It’s far easier to condemn someone else than to confront your own weaknesses. I think the modern church still suffers from this affliction. We are so intent on judging others that we overlook our own sins. We refuse to admit that we too have issues and that we too deserve death. We don’t want to appear as anything less than “perfect Christians”; in the process we demonstrate our hypocrisy. This is what the world finds so unappealing about us. We need to show ourselves as broken people, a work in process. Instead of judging the sins of others, we should be pointing out our own failures. When the church at large begins getting real and walking in genuineness, I believe the world will respond. As long as we refuse to admit our own shortcomings and are content to target and judge the sins of others, we will continue to drive a wedge between us and those who so desperately need to hear the message of Jesus.

The life of Jesus was all about serving others. There’s little glory in service and it generally requires us to humble ourselves to do things that we consider to be beneath us. It’s far more appealing to stand in judgment over someone rather than to serve under someone in support of their life. Yet this was the mission of Christ. He did not come to condemn the world, but rather to redeem it (John 3:17). If we would follow Him, this must be our mission as well.

To change how we are seen by the world, we must change how we interact with our world. We must return to doing the work of the mission of Jesus Christ. It’s time to drop our shields, remove our masks, and admit that we need the grace of Jesus every bit as much as everyone else. We must genuinely love and empathize with others. Judgment must be left to God; this is not our calling. Instead of condemning the sins of others, let’s learn how we might serve them in such a way that they can rise above their destructive behaviors. In turn, we just might learn how to rise above our own failings. When each of us begins to love with openness and honesty, when we stop condemning and start serving others, then the world will take notice and their attitude toward the message of Jesus will turn from repulsion to curiosity. People don’t need contempt and judgment; they need healing and forgiveness. This is the mission of Jesus. This is the message of all who would follow Him.

Gratitude

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Following Jesus is hard. The way of Christ demands courage, perseverance, patience and integrity. It is both exhausting and exhilarating. We are not guaranteed peace, material wealth, food or shelter. We can wind up in difficult circumstances and still the call remains the same. We are to follow Him unwaveringly while continuing to love and serve others regardless of our own situation. The burden of life can become overbearing if we try and shoulder it ourselves. We are promised to never receive more than we can carry, but think how much more we could manage if we put the burden on Jesus himself! How does one maintain a positive and loving mental attitude though the trials of life? The answer can be summed up simply in one word: gratitude.

It’s virtually impossible to be negative in the midst of being grateful. To say each day is a gift may sound a bit cliché, but it remains true. Some days everything just seems to go right, everything comes up roses and you fall asleep just grateful to be alive. Others days, well, not so much. Perhaps though, the purpose of that day is to be a gift for someone else. Perhaps in your despair you have the opportunity to touch the life of another. Then, just maybe, because of your act of love they too will be thankful just to be alive. So each day is a gift; it’s either a gift you give or one you receive.

Before bed each night, or upon waking, run through your gratitude list. To help you get started, here are a few suggestions I’ve picked up over the years:

Possessions – Grab a notebook and pen and start walking around the place you live making a list of all your possessions. Make sure you have plenty of paper, as this is always a long and humbling experience. What I find generally happens is that I quit after filling a couple of pages. You become overwhelmed and perhaps even a little ashamed by the sheer quantity of all we possess. We may at times feel like we don’t have enough or at least not as much as our friends and neighbors, but the truth is if you are reading this blog, there is a very good chance that you are incredibly blessed. Look again at the “Global Rich List” web site to determine your level of wealth in the world. Don’t compare yourself to those who you perceive to be wealthy by the world’s standards; compare yourself with those who are wealthy by God’s standards. If you are still not convinced, try volunteering at a homeless shelter or local soup kitchen. We are immeasurably blessed and should wake grateful of this fact each day.

Health – All over the world, hundreds of men, women and children die every second from preventable diseases. Malnutrition and dirty water wreak havoc on the bodies of millions resulting in the inability to work and permanent damage to the basic functions of their minds and their bodies. The ravages of war strip away the dreams of youth as injuries change the lives of the afflicted soldiers forever. Meanwhile our biggest health concern is the choice between the smaller or larger piece of cake. If you are breathing clean air, drinking clean water, and have food in your cupboards, your health exceeds that of nearly half of the world’s population. We all have our aches and our pains, but these are petty annoyances when compared to the plight of poverty stricken nations. Check out the work being done by ministries such as World Vision and Persecution Project. Learn about the needs of the least, the lost and the last. Flex your muscles, breathe deeply and enjoy a glass of water in gratefulness for your blessings of health.

Relationships – Nearly all of us have someone in our lives for whom we can be grateful. Whether it’s a friend, spouse, child or family member, most of us have the privilege of caring for or being cared for by another person. Even for those who truly are alone in this world, if you have a relationship with Jesus, you are truly never alone (if you do not have a relationship with Jesus, or are confused about what that means, please see “What does it mean to be a Christian?” or email me to discuss it). Millions of people around the world have absolutely no one with whom they share a relationship. Young children orphaned by the scourge of AIDS find themselves with no parents, no family, and no hope. They need someone to come along side of them; they desperately need Jesus in their lives. When you feel lonely, when you have been badly burned in a relationship, when you’re at your worst, would you trade places with these children? Of course not, because you still enjoy and experience the love of other relationships. Humbly thank God for the blessings of others and more importantly of Himself, in your life.

We have much for which to be grateful. It is easy to get caught up in our selfishness and self pity. Make a regular habit of noticing all the blessings in your life. Adopt an attitude of gratitude and you will find it virtually impossible to be depressed. After recognizing all of your blessings, consider passing them along. Help those in need and bring hope to those in despair. Thank God for His love, mercy and blessings. Be humble and live in a manner that reflects your gratitude.

Deconstruction

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We all have areas and activities in our lives that we try and keep off limits to God. We can easily give up 95% of our lives to the Lord, but that last 5% can be a little tricky and full of difficulty. For too long we’ve allowed these areas of disobedience to diminish our effectiveness for God. As long as these “idols” (for that is truly what they are) remain in our lives, we can never achieve all that God has in mind for us to do. In my experience and observation, these sacred cows usually come in two flavors: entertainment and money. What are your sacred cows?

For many, they are good with altering their lifestyle a bit, as long as they can continue to spend their money however they wish. They’ll give to a charity here and there, and even some to their local church. But for the most part, “their” money is theirs to do with as they please. Some will go a step further and give the 10% tithe to their church, but that’s absolutely it; the other 90% is theirs.

Others don’t wish to give up their choices of entertainment. They have no problem giving money to God, but please don’t ask them to lay down the golf clubs or video game controller. I’ve been told that this is what they do to unwind, and if they stopped doing these things, they’d be much less happy and therefore a less effective witness for Jesus.

Let’s do a little deconstruction of the above idols. When we do not surrender “our” money to God, we essentially are asserting that we do not trust Him to be able to provide for our needs. After all, why else would we be afraid to hand control of this area over to Him? When we refuse to surrender our entertainment choices to Him, we are letting Him know that peace and happiness are of our own creation, not His.

This is not meant to be an indictment against golf or video games; they are just two easy examples of current entertainment trends. The issue comes in when we refuse to surrender these items to God. When we spend more time entertaining ourselves than we spend doing Kingdom work, there is a serious problem. When we spend more money on ourselves than on others, we are living a life that is contrary to the one Christ told us to live.

Why are we afraid to give the money we have been entrusted with to care for the poor and the needy? Do we really believe that God will allow us to starve because we gave all our money to the hungry? Even if we were to end up starving, what a way to go! We might die without food in our bellies but we’d have the love of Jesus on our lips. I’ll choose the latter any day. Why are we so certain that we cannot find peace, love, and utter joy in the arms of Jesus? Why do we believe we must seek our happiness in forms of entertainment that draw us away from being the hands and feet of Jesus?

What are your sacred cows, the areas of your life that you are hesitant to hand over to Jesus? Do you trust Him to care for your needs, both financial and emotional? Do you desire to live your life fully for Him? Take some time to determine the mental vices that prevent you from giving 100% of your life to Jesus. Take the time to ferret out the deep seeded reasons behind your hesitance to release everything to Him. At the root, you will find the lies of Satan. Don’t let him steal the joy and sense of fulfillment from your life for the sake of his lies. See your sacred cows for what they are – pale and inadequate substitutes for the love of Christ. Take some time to deconstruct your objections and allow Jesus to build a new mind within you. Then you will find the true peace that comes only from God.

Are You Serving or Surviving?

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Somewhere along the way, Christianity took a sharp turn from where it began. For most of us today, particularly in the West, we’ve forged a theology of safety. Churches are looked upon as a place of refuge from the outside world. We pray for safety for ourselves and our families. We pray for safety before heading out on the road. We choose safe neighborhoods to live in, and many churches choose safe neighborhoods in which to minister. It’s easier to write a check or send a few volunteers to the unsafe areas, while the church at large is content to remain in the relative safety of suburbia. As we have grown accustomed to safety, we have drifted closer to obscurity.

When I read the Bible, particularly of the early church in the New Testament, I see anything but safety. I see people being stoned, beheaded, imprisoned and deserted. When I look at the life of Jesus I see a man who had no home and no earthly wealth; I see a man who was hated and pursued by the leaders of His nation. I see the violence of His trial and the crucifixion. I see anything but safety. To the contrary, what I see is that the closer you get to Jesus the more danger you will find for yourself.

I don’t know when it was that we began to lose sight of the dangers of following Christ. Certainly those in Countries outside of the West do not subscribe to our theology. They risk their very lives to gather in secret just to talk about Jesus. Torture is very real to these people, not just some horrific act they read about in history books. Yet these same people consider the privilege and joy of knowing Jesus to be worth risking the certain torment they will face to do so.

We have so isolated ourselves for the sake of safety that we have lost sight of our purpose. We have so consumed ourselves with protecting our lives and those of our family that we have turned from the mission of Christ. To be in the will of God, in step with the things He called us to do, is to be in grave danger; its okay, we’re in good company. Again, read of the trials faced by early believers in the New Testament. They too faced persecution, torture and death. We should seek to have it no other way. If we are afraid to deal with danger, how will we ever take the message of Jesus any further than the tree lined streets of our planned communities? How then will we serve? To serve is to put ourselves in uncomfortable and uncertain situations. To serve is to love regardless of consequence.

Of what are we afraid? Are we afraid of physical pain? Jesus endured it for us. Are we afraid of losing our loved ones? Jesus survived it. Are we afraid of death? Jesus conquered it. He has gone there before us; He is there for us now. We have nothing to fear because in the very worst case scenario, we will join Him forever. Death holds no power and no sting. So I ask again, of what are we afraid?

Are you living to survive or to serve? Have you isolated yourself from the world outside in the name of safety but at the cost of Christ’s message? If so, it’s time to reengage with society. It’s time to emerge from the walled fortresses of our churches and communities and take the good news of Jesus to those who so desperately need it. We have the power of Christ within us, so reach out with His courage and His strength. Never lose sight of the fact that we are not called to safety, but rather to serve.

Build Your Case

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Many years ago, my father had a card on his desk that questioned “If you were on trial for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?” I believe this remains a valid question. If you had to prove you were a follower of Jesus, would you be able to do it? You couldn’t just state that you said a prayer one time because more than likely there were very few witnesses to that prayer. In addition, how does saying a prayer prove that you actually follow Jesus? Anyone can say a prayer, right? What if you actually had to give tangible proof, how would you fare? Would there be enough evidence to convict you?

We need to live every day with the sole purpose of building the evidence that we are indeed followers of Jesus. The way to do this, of course, is through tangible acts of love and service to others. We should greet each day with an excitement over the fact that we get to serve people for yet another day. We were created to serve and to love, and every day we get an opportunity to do so is cause for celebration. Life is more than paying bills, crummy jobs and grocery shopping. Our lives should be about seeking ways that we can serve others. What brings you more satisfaction, eating 8 slices of pizza watching the game or doing something genuinely nice and unselfish for someone else? We were made for service which is why there is no feeling quite like it. The peace and fulfillment you feel loving others is a direct result of you doing what you were created to do. You are no longer simply living, you become alive!

Take a walk through your neighborhood and make a checklist of ideas you get while looking around and talking to your neighbors. How might you help them and serve them? Be a good listener; sometimes people just need to talk or a shoulder to cry on. Don’t think you always need to know what to say. Let the other person lead and you can just sit back and watch for moments where you may be able to serve them. As you walk around, remind yourself that you are the hands and feet of Jesus. You are His representative, responsible for the mission of helping to bring His kingdom to reality on this earth. It is an awesome and exciting responsibility.

As you seek ways to serve others, remember that it is important to act on your ideas. Many will need to be acted on immediately, others will develop over time. Develop a sense of urgency and determine to always act immediately; when you hesitate, the moment is lost, usually forever. There is no worse feeling than being given an opportunity to serve and then hesitating. The moment will pass and you will be robbed of a blessing, the knowledge that you were doing exactly what Jesus would have done. Trust me, every time you let an opportunity pass you by, it will haunt you for days and weeks.

What evidence exists to prove you are a follower of Jesus? If you were on trial for being His disciple, would you be convicted? Start building the case against yourself today. Never miss an opportunity to serve someone or to show love to anyone in need. Make certain that there is proof beyond a shadow of a doubt that you are indeed a follower of Jesus.