Even If i Walk Alone

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

What Might Have Been

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I believe when we die that we will have to give an account for all the things we did in our life.  That can be an appalling and dreadful thought, because my actions have most assuredly not always been good.  While the thought of this accounting can cause us to measure our words and be more thoughtful in our deeds, there is still the reality that we as human beings tend to mess up – a lot!  As daunting as the prospect of accounting for our deeds might seem, this week I have come across a thought that strikes deeper and causes even more discomfort for me:  what if each of us were forced to watch a movie of what our life COULD have been had we not wasted time and squandered opportunity?

The movie would contain scenes of the things we could have accomplished had we not been afraid or filled with self doubt, scenes of what we could have carried out if we had made the time instead of insisting we had no time.  I imagine scenes of wild achievements had we dared to pursue our dreams, magnificent performances for Christ had we only chosen to exercise our faith.  Think of the collective good we could achieve if all of us were to determine that our movie would be an empty reel of film, because we took every opportunity that presented itself and acted on it without fear.

The encouraging and horrifying fact about all this is that it is wholly within our power to write and direct this film.  It is up to each one of us to determine what we will accomplish in this life.  Will we choose a theme of selfishness, timidity, self-doubt and the like, or will we choose a life of significance, a life that leaves this world a far better place, a life of devotion to our Creator, King and Savior?  It is within our power; we have been granted the gift of freewill and can choose each day how we shall live.  Our choices combined with the power of Christ can have an impact beyond our imagination, if we will only choose to live without fear.

We must decide each day, each hour that we will no longer live in fear.  We will focus on the things we want to accomplish for Christ and for those around us.  When your life becomes consumed by service, your dreams will change to align with those of Jesus.  We will love at any cost; we will sacrifice at every opportunity.  It’s not that we don’t have time to live a life of significance, it’s that we do not choose to do so. It’s not that we’d rather be a spectator in life, it’s just we’re too lazy to get involved.

Begin today to envision the person you want to be tomorrow, next year and five years from now.  How do you want to impact the world?  How will you serve?  How will you love?  Write it all down, read it every day.  Choose to rewrite the movie of “could have been” to the story of “what we did”.  The choice is ours and ours alone.  No one will do this for you; but you can do it for the world and for the Kingdom.

Your Last Day

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Imagine that an angel appeared to you when you woke this morning.  Imagine he told you that your life would be over at midnight, and then vanished.  What would your response be?  How would you order your day?  There would be no time for any major plans, no time for that fantastic cruise to the Bahamas or to climb Mt. Everest.  With only 18 hours or less to complete your life on earth, what would be your plan?

While everyone’s actions would be different, to be sure, I believe there are many things we would all agree we would not do.  I would not spend time in any trivial conversation, just to pass the time.  I would not spend my last hours sitting and dwelling on my failures and regrets.  I would not be afraid to tell someone that I loved them, or to introduce myself to someone I always found intimidating in any way.  I would not waste a moment bickering with friends or family over inconsequential activities, or fretting about any political speeches or sitting in front of the television.  I would not worry if the house was clean or the car was washed.

What I would want to do would be to spend every possible moment with those I love.  I would want to encourage everyone I met in hopes of leaving some sort of legacy behind.  I would certainly not be afraid to speak my mind, to tell the truth regardless of the circumstance or consequence.  I would spend much of my day in prayer, preparing myself for the next stage in my life.  I would ask God to show me what I needed to accomplish on this day, to show me those I needed to speak to, and those I needed to forgive.

As I look back over my list, I am struck by the fact that the way I would live my last day on earth is the way I should be living every day on earth.  Why are we so afraid to live this way, to live out loud for Christ?  Instead we try and live quietly, under the radar, and ultimately in insignificance.  I don’t want to be quiet; I don’t want to be insignificant; I want to live loudly.  I want to live each day as if I knew it were my last.  Join me in making a joyful noise every day we live.

No Days Off

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I’ve been kicking around an idea for the past several weeks, and think I am finally comfortable enough with it that I need to integrate the principle of it into my life. The concept is simple, yet I believe it can have an incredible impact on the effectiveness of our walk. The concept is simply this: we as Christians are not allowed to take any days off. In fact, it goes deeper than that; we’re not even allowed to take a lunch break. Just as I have long espoused that every second of every minute of every hour of every day we make a choice to follow Christ or turn away from Him, I now am convicted that we must be “on” every second of every minute of every hour of every day.

For too long we have bought into the illusion that we deserve to have everything that Western culture has to offer, and oh by the way, we’ll also follow Christ. This isn’t the call I see in Scripture. Jesus demands that we give up everything and follow Him. We speak our belief to others whenever we are seen by them throughout the day. We speak our belief to God when no one else is around. This covers our actions, thoughts and words at all times, not just some of the time. God never ceases to observe us, and as long as there are other people on this planet, neither will they.

We don’t have the luxury of time. When we meet someone, we must demonstrate the love of Christ and the integrity of our faith to them; we may never get another opportunity. When we are alone, we must always use that time to recharge our spirit by communing with God, practicing spiritual disciplines and resting quietly in Christ – not in front of the latest television phenomenon. There are many things in this world that are inherently neutral – sports, hobbies and entertainment to name a few; but time is not neutral, it will either be used for God or it will be used against God. If we use the time God has given us to indulge in things that do not further His kingdom then we are not living true to our commitment to forsake everything for Him.

Nurture relationships, show love to others. Share a kind word and a few dollars with those in need. Perhaps now more than any time in American history we must realize how quickly our window of opportunity is closing. Our nation is changing and we do not know how long we will enjoy the absolute religious freedom we currently do. We must redeem the time – every second of it. We must work harder to live and love as we told Jesus we would. There are no breaks, there is no time off, but there is a great reward for all who persevere.

What If?

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What if this week were different? What if we approached tomorrow in a brand new way? What if we got so excited about doing life the way we are called to do it that we made a radical change in the way we lived? What if everything we did was done in honor of God? What if, before we go to bed tonight, we dedicated the rest of this week to Jesus? What if we didn’t stop at just words, what if we really meant it?

What if we rejected our pride and started actively seeking ways to serve others? What if we determined to love – truly love – everyone with whom we come into contact? What if we, once and for all, surrendered those things we have kept back from God? What if we stopped worrying if we had the latest electronic gadgets or the biggest TV? What if we stopped caring what kind of car we drive?

What if we skipped our own lunch and used the money to buy lunch for someone else instead? What if we took some time to speak to the homeless? What if we spared an hour to listen to someone who was hurting? What if we treated our families with the same courtesy and respect that we treat those outside of our inner circle?

What if we started living like Jesus was truly alive within us? What if we decided – right now – to set the world ablaze with the love of Christ? What if we just let go and let Him flow through us? What if we stopped being afraid and started trusting Him like we say we do? What if we started living as if nothing mattered more than pleasing Jesus?

What if this all weren’t just wishful thinking? What if we stopped asking all these questions and started to be the answers instead? What if?

What Holds You Back? Part II

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In my last post I posed the question, “What holds you back from serving Christ the way you want to, from serving Him the way you know you should?” I offered the two reasons why I am held back. Today I will look at the second reason, which is selfishness.

I’m sure we can all agree that selfishness is never pretty. It’s like a cancer that infects our soul and spreads rapidly. We want to hold onto things, whether those things are physical objects, time or ideals. To be a follower of Christ requires that we have no “stuff” of our own. If we will call Him Lord, everything we have belongs to Jesus.

Time is a big one for me; I often would rather do my own thing (or nothing at all) as opposed to serving others, praying or studying the Bible. Any of those things can be draining when done without the proper attitude. Doing those things with a humble heart of love, however, is actually incredibly invigorating. The interesting dichotomy is that if these things are so invigorating and fill us with such life, why are we so hesitant to engage in such activities?

The common thread running between the things we should be doing is that we are doing them with another in mind. That provides much less instant gratification than just doing things for ourselves. These days we are all about the instant gratification. Information can be had with a just a couple of keystrokes, advertisements come at us a mile a minute and the opportunities for entertainment are absolutely mind-numbing. It’s simply easier and more pleasurable in the short term to serve ourselves rather than others.

We must not lose sight of who we are and more importantly, whose we are. For we who swear our allegiance to Jesus, there is no turning back. Our lives will never be the same. We will never again be about instant and short term pleasures. Instead we will bask in the long term tranquility of serving our Lord. May we never lose focus of our calling; love God, love others. It’s simple, eternally gratifying and absolutely selfless.