Even If i Walk Alone

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

Words that Require Action

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The topics I write about on this blog are intended to prompt action. If they are just words, or perhaps even clever thoughts, then there is no point. Reading how we should follow Christ, if left at simply reading, produces nothing. We are called to movement. We are the hands and feet of Jesus, and hands and feet are both instruments of action; they are instruments of change. Clay gripped by the hands is never the same again; neither is a soul whose has experienced our helping hands. When we walk, we end up in a place that is different from where we were before; so it is when we venture forward in love. Everything changes when we take action. Nothing changes if we simply are aware of what we should be doing.

Just as it’s easy to read and be unchanged, it is also easy to write and be unchanged. It is sad if you read these words and do nothing. It is absolutely tragic if I write the words and leave it at that. With knowledge comes responsibility. We can never claim that we were unaware of what we were supposed to do. If you don’t want the responsibility, stop reading now! Lock away your Bible and burn your books. But if you would follow Christ, if you would serve the one who gave His life for you, keep reading. Then get up and put the words into action. We are indeed the called, and to what are we called? Action! We are called to serve and love everyone with whom we come into contact. We are called to identify with the poor by sharing what we have with them. We are called to care for the orphans and widows by taking them in as one of our own family. To love and to serve cannot be passive events; both require action.

One of my favorite authors, Ken Blanchard, loves to say “None of us is as smart as all of us.” If I may take a small liberty, I propose that none of us is as strong as all of us; none of us can accomplish as much as all of us. Here is my challenge, my desperate request: take what you read here and in other writings like this and apply what you learn. Put action behind the words; be the hands and feet of the message. We desperately need each other. Let us put our hands together to accomplish much, and let us put our feet together to walk further than we ever could alone. You are not alone, and neither am I. Christianity is a team sport; it can be no other way.

Are you willing? Can I count on you? I promise that you can count on me. I will be there, holding high the flame of Christ. We all get tired, but together we can press on. So my prayer is that you will join me in actively pursuing Christ. My prayer is that I will passionately, desperately devote my life to Him and all He is, and do so with utter abandon. I want to love. I want to serve. Are you in?

We Are the Called

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It’s easy to think of missions occurring in far off lands, probably in a sweaty jungle or on a remote island. Missionaries are special people, to be certain, bravely living out the call of Jesus. But when we personalize it a bit we tend to grow uncomfortable. We’re not missionaries, we’re just ordinary folks. Mission work is for men in animal skins and women in hand woven sweaters. Where did we ever come up with such ideas?

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Right Time, Right People, Right Reason

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For too long in my walk with Christ, I waited for the right moment to serve Him. Surely there would be a great clap of thunder to announce that it was now my time or perhaps people would just start showing up asking for me. Visions of grandeur, it would seem, actually have little place in the kingdom of God! Yet, through the years I have discovered I was not alone in this delusion. I have met many others who, like me, were just waiting for the right time or for the right set of circumstances before launching into their ministry for Jesus.

Waiting for the right time, it turns out, is a misnomer. Each and every moment of the day is the right time for you to serve God by serving and loving others. So if every moment is the right time, that means that every moment we spend waiting for the “right time”, is a moment wasted. By waiting for the perfect time, we are actually choosing to ignore that the perfect time is now. God calls us to serve Him now, but we argue that it would be better for us to wait. How foolish we must appear to our Holy God. How sad must He be as He watches the countless moments squandered by proud humans who claim to know better? Serve God at the right time in your life, but realize that the right time is now.

Another common problem I have lived and observed is the desire to go it alone. Surely no one else holds our same convictions, so we have no choice, right? True Christianity is all about community; it’s about coming along side our brothers and sisters and helping each other along the way. Jesus chose twelve men to walk with him every day. Paul chose to have a travelling companion whenever possible. Moses had Aaron. All through the Bible I see stories of servants of God coming along side of each other to multiply their effectiveness and to encourage each other. It’s important to surround yourself with others who are striving to live as Jesus did. When you are weak or when you fall, they will pick you up; and when they are weak and fall, you’ll do the same for them. Choose the right people to walk with you on your quest to follow Jesus.

Finally, we need to make very certain that we are serving Christ for the right reason. It’s easy to serve Christ for the feeling of self accomplishment, to build your esteem in the eyes of your church or to impress others. If we are walking in the footsteps of Jesus for any reason other than our love for Him or our desire to serve Him, we may as well stop because Jesus sees what is in our hearts. He calls us to serve Him with all of our hearts. If we have an ulterior motive we again seem to be saying that we know better. If our worship and sacrifice are not pure, they will be rejected by God. That is a terrifying thought. Serve God out of gratitude for what He did for you, and out of love for everyone around you. Do it for the right reason, or don’t bother doing it at all.

Devote your entire life to nothing less than service for the One who gave everything He had for you. The time is now, serve Him. Take others along with you on the journey and watch God multiply your ministry. Keep your heart right with God all along the way. Focus on Christ at all times. Serve God for the right reason, at the right time and with the right people.

The Delicate Balance of Faith and Works

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Faith without works is no faith at all. Works without faith are ultimately worthless. Faith demonstrated by works, work driven by faith, is the most beautiful display in all of humanity. Therein lays the delicate balance.

Over the past century, there has been much said about the controversial balance between works and faith. Some denominations pursue a salvation through works theology; others preach a grace only doctrine, while still others endlessly seek the balance between the two. Everyone has scriptures to supposedly validate their particular point of view. As with many issues in the church today, it becomes increasingly difficult to block out the noise and determine what the true answer actually is. And as with many issues facing the church today, we are overcomplicating the issue.

In Ephesians 2:8-9, we are told that our salvation is a result of the grace of God. In Ephesians 2:10 we are commanded to demonstrate our salvation by doing the works Christ commands us to do. In James 2:14-17, we see that if we are not demonstrating our faith by doing the things that Jesus did, and by doing the things that Jesus told us to do, then our faith is not valid! You can not be a true disciple of Christ, a true follower, and not do the things He told us to do. As we have covered many times in the past, the things Jesus told us to do were to care for the orphans, the homeless, the widows, the single mothers and those in poverty. We’re to give food to the hungry, drink to the thirsty, visit those in prison, clothe the ones in need and look after the sick. And lest we forget, we are told to tell everyone about Jesus.

Are you demonstrating your faith by engaging in the activities above? If not, what exactly is the faith you claim to have? James says it’s dead; Jesus sends people away from His presence if they do not engage in the work He gave them to do. It’s not enough to simply know the name of Christ; demons know the name of Christ (James 2:19), proving simply knowing Jesus, simply believing in who He is, is not enough. If you believe that simply knowing Him and believing in His message will guarantee you a place in Heaven, you are very sadly mistaken. Scripture does not support this idea; in fact it warns against it. By the same measure, doing the things Christ told us to do without truly believing He is who said He was will also leave you on the outside looking in.

The only way to Heaven is by accepting the grace of God through His son Jesus and then to go out and live the life Christ intended for us. We must have this balance if we expect to see Him again. He has given us much, and He asks for the same. Follow Him and you will have eternal life. Following someone is not a passive activity. To follow is to pursue. To pursue requires a choice to do so, and focus. So where are you? Do you have faith in God but are doing nothing to demonstrate that fact? Are you doing everything that Christ told His followers to do, but doing it because you think He was simply a fine teacher and man of peace? Or have you found the delicate balance between faith and works? Do you love Him and follow that up with service to Him because of your love for Him? Prayerfully determine to which camp you belong. Don’t wait until it’s too late to be about your mission. The grace of God has redeemed you to do incredible things for the kingdom. Bask in God’s grace as you cheerfully and humbly do the work He has for you. Discover the delicate balance and live.

Give Me Just Enough

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Reading in Proverbs the other day, a couple of verses really stood out to me. You read a passage you’ve read many, many times before and God just sticks His finger in the book and says, “Look, Right there!” I love when that happens. The passage I read was Proverbs 30:7-9:

Two things I ask of You; don’t deny them to me before I die:
Keep falsehood and deceitful words far from me.
Give me neither poverty nor wealth; feed me with the food I need.
Otherwise, I might have too much and deny You, saying, “Who is the LORD?”
Or I might have nothing and steal, profaning the name of my God. (HCSB)

I immediately prayed these words for my own life. I want my words to be always measured and truthful. Proverbs tells us, and life confirms, the more you speak the more prone you are to say something that is not true. Let your words be few; speak slowly and let every word count. Never lie or deceive another. We are servants of the king. Jesus said to let our ‘yes’ be ‘yes’ and our ‘no’ be ‘no’. (Matthew 5:37) The ninth commandment in the Old Testament tells us not to lie. (Exodus 20:16) There is no wiggle room. God demands honesty. In addition to keeping deceit from my own lips, I also pray that those who would deceive me would stay far away. Flattering lips and scheming individuals tempt us to walk a path Christ would not. I want these types of people as far from me as possible. Don’t keep close company with those who make a habit of lying to you or to others. Surround yourself with those of the highest character or you may be enticed to live in a manner that is against God.

The second thing I prayed was to be neither poor nor wealthy. I have on some small level touched both ends of the spectrum in my own life and can attest to the temptations of each. (As a side note, do you realize if you make in excess of $25,000 per year you are wealthier than 97% of the world? If you make in excess of $50,000 per year, you are wealthier than 99% of the world’s population! I’d wager you are wealthier than you may have previously thought! ) If I have too much excess available to me, I might easily be tempted to spend it selfishly on things I don’t necessarily need. Money and time are finite; are we spending them in a way that is pleasing to God? If I have too little, there is pressure to perhaps take what we did not pay for in order to satisfy our need for food or clothing or perhaps even just our desire to have something we could not otherwise afford. Better to have just enough for the day. This will cause me to faithfully trust Christ every day for His provision of my needs. If I have too much, my response should be to give that excess to those who do not have enough.

It is beautiful and astounding that the words of Proverbs written so long ago are still so relevant today. We are bombarded by advertising that makes us think we need the latest gadget or service. We are encouraged to do whatever it takes to get ahead. There is the concept of a “white lie” that apparently doesn’t count as an actual lie; who thought of this ludicrous idea? Lord, keep all deceit from my lips, and keep those who would deceive me far away. Give me simply just enough to provide for my day and let me fully trust you to take care of tomorrow. Keep my eyes on You and You alone; may I remain ever faithful with all you entrust into my care. Please, give me just enough.