Even If i Walk Alone

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

commitment

Second Class Citizen

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Why is it we invite Jesus to be Lord of our life, only to relegate Him to a second class citizen? I’m assuming most Christians would deny they treat Christ as anything but the most important part of their lives, but our actions speak otherwise.  The reality of this smacked me in the face recently. I was running a little behind the morning of an important business meeting.

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As I was about to step into the shower, it occurred to me I had neglected to have my regular prayer time that morning. I rationalized I would spend time with God after getting ready and printing out the paperwork I needed for the meeting. After all, my mind would be too distracted to pray at that point anyway. I needed to get the things that “had” to be done first.
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Obsessed With Jesus

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Are you obsessed with Jesus? Francis Chan says that, “Obsessed people are more concerned with obeying God than doing what is expected or fulfilling the status quo. Obsessed people care more about God’s kingdom coming to this earth than their own lives being shielded from pain or distress.” Are those statements a fair summary of your life?

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If you’re like me, there are times when I can identify with that level of obsession, but far more times when I can’t. More than anything else, true followers of Christ are obsessed with Jesus. They can’t get close enough or learn too much about Him. While it can be uncomfortable to ask these questions of ourselves, we must evaluate whether or not we are obsessed with Jesus.
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This Day and That Day

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Every so often I run across a quote that resonates so deeply it feels as if it has rocked my very soul. The one I found most recently was from Martin Luther, who said, “There are two days in my calendar: This day and that Day.” The ‘that day” to which he referred was the day he would meet Jesus.

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Martin Luther thought only of what was going on right now in this present moment, and of things that would occur when he stood face to face with Jesus. What an amazing outlook on life, one that aligns perfectly with the teachings of Christ.

What a contrast to the way most of us go about our lives. We spend much of our time planning and dreaming about the future. Jesus had some strong language for those of us operating in that manner. In Luke 12:16-21, he said we who make plans for the future without first serving God are fools. We can make the most intricate plans for future vacations and our retirement, but our life could be demanded of us at any moment. For what then will all those plans count? Who will profit from all you have saved for the future? When we neglect the importance of this moment, sacrificing it for an unknown future, we are missing out on the real treasures of life. That makes us foolish indeed.

We fret about having food, shelter, and clothing, but Jesus instructed us not to give such things a second thought (Matthew 6:25-34). He pointed out how He takes care of the birds of the air and how He tends to the garden of our world without any help on our behalf. He is aware of every situation and will not abandon us. Yet at the first sign of trouble we turn away from Him and run towards the things of this world. We flee the warm embrace of Jesus and plunge head first into the razor sharp talons of the adversary. We abandon the only true safety for the empty promises of an illusory and temporary comfort.

What if we focused our lives only on this day and that day? How might our lives be different? Forget about the future. You can’t predict it and have no guarantee it will even come. First dedicate your entire existence to Jesus. Concentrate only on what you can do to serve Him on this day, in this hour, at this very moment.

When you think about the future, think only of the moment your hands will grasp the feet of Jesus. Play out the scene in your mind. What might that day look like to you? What will you say? What will you do? How will Jesus react to seeing you? The way ‘that day’ plays out is dependent on how you live ‘this day’. Nothing else matters beyond how you serve Jesus right now.  With every breath we are either building up or tearing down the Kingdom of God. Think only of this day. Dream only of that day. The rest will take care of itself.

You Can Have it All

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Advertising media is constantly telling us we “deserve to have it all”. American culture encourages us to reach for the stars and to pursue success. From an early age many are taught we can be anything we want to be. As we mature, we discover what all those who have gone before us already know. We actually can’t have it all.

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There aren’t enough hours in a lifetime to do everything we want to do. There isn’t enough money to bankroll our every whim. Instead we must determine which things are most important to us to pursue and leave the rest littered on the field of unfulfilled promises and shattered dreams.
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Worth it All?

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To most of the people reading this blog, being a disciple of Jesus will not put your life in jeopardy. Few of us will ever know what real persecution for the sake of Jesus is. We won’t know what it’s like to gather in secret to worship and learn about Jesus. While thankfully that isn’t our reality, this blessing of freedom is not without consequence.

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Because our faith puts us in no peril, we are prone to laziness and selfish pursuits. Serving Jesus becomes a secondary focus. We must consciously decide if following Jesus is worth it all, or if we will only give lip service to that commitment. It has often been said, but bears repeating here: Jesus is either Lord of all or He isn’t Lord at all.
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