Even If i Walk Alone

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

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.

Be an Action Hero

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Who doesn’t love an action hero? I grew up a huge fan of Spider Man. When I was quite young, I even wanted to be Spider Man when I grew up. It really didn’t take too long to realize that probably was not going to be in the cards for me, given the shortage of radioactive spiders and such! Yet still, there remains a certain fascination with action heroes. We spend billions of dollars each year to watch movies and read books about these inspiring characters. We vicariously revel in the triumph of good over evil, and in seeing wrongs righted by the hero or the heroine. As we mature, most of us release the dream of becoming an action hero. I think this is a huge mistake. As followers of Jesus, we have the opportunity to be action heroes (or heroines) every day of our lives.

Jesus calls us to right the wrongs of society and to bring justice to those in need. Just as the Bible is full of stories of action heroes (think Noah, Moses, Joshua, Daniel, John the Baptist, Peter and Paul for starters), the world is still full of action heroes. Richard Stearns (president of World Vision), Bono, Tom White (President of the Voice of the Martyrs), Brad Phillips (President of Persecution Project) and many, many others are still doing the work of true religion: caring for the orphans and widows, breaking the chains of injustice, freeing the oppressed, feeding the hungry, sheltering the homeless and caring for the poor. (James 1:27; Isaiah 58:6-7). Mother Theresa, William Wilberforce, Martin Luther and Martin Luther King Jr. were all action heroes. They were heroic because they took action to share God’s love with the world and to call us all to a deeper walk with Jesus Christ.

To be an action hero, you must do more than simply talk a good game. We must embody the things we say; we must demonstrate our commitment to Jesus. No matter how good we are at communicating our message or encouraging others to follow Christ, what ultimately matters is if we perform the very actions that we talk about. Do we take action or merely talk about doing so? This is what separates the ordinary from the extraordinary. The extraordinary put action behind their words; they became action heroes because of their passion for Jesus Christ and His Kingdom.

We must live up to the words we say. We must deliver on our commitment to following Jesus. Action heroes do not become so by providing only lip service. They are passionate about their beliefs and in bringing justice to the world. If you would be an action hero, practice the behaviors you espouse before opening your mouth. Become known for what you do and not what you say. Nothing is ever accomplished without action of some sort. Redemption is available to us because Christ performed the action of dying on the cross. In that same spirit, we must now take action to make that redemption known to everyone around us. The road to Hell is lined with good intentions and dreams, and with those who failed to act upon them.

When it’s all said and done, when are lives are over and we must give an account to our Creator for how we lived the life He entrusted to us, all that will ultimately matter will be the actions we took. Did we trust Him, did we love Him and did we share that love with others? Did we feed the hungry, care for the poor and come to the aid of the widows, the single moms, the orphans and the homeless? Did we care more for others than we did ourselves, and did our checkbooks reflect that concern? It’s not hard to be a hero for God. It’s simply a matter of taking action for His kingdom; it’s being the hands and feet of Jesus. Are you an action hero? You know you want to be, and now you know you can be. Be extraordinary for Jesus; put your faith into action. Become an action hero.

Apathy

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I am a driven, goal-oriented person. Generally I spend Saturday evenings planning the week ahead. This week, after a particularly successful week, I decided to review the past week in a very different way. Instead of measuring how much I accomplished or how successful I was in advancing my goals, I reflected on exactly how much I accomplished for God and how successful I was in pursuing His goals. The results were not nearly as good as I would have hoped or expected of myself.

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