Even If i Walk Alone

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

commitment

True Surrender

by

In Christianity there is much talk about the concept of surrender. Indeed, acts of surrender are the foundation of our faith. God surrendered absolute control when he gave freewill to his creation; He surrendered His own Son as a means to save that same creation from themselves; Jesus surrendered His life so that a humanity destined for Hell might live. While He walked on this earth, Jesus implored those who would follow Him to surrender everything to do so. That same call remains today.

So what exactly does true surrender look like? With Easter nearing, many Christians are celebrating a season of Lent. During this time it is customary for them to give up or surrender something they cherish, usually expressed as a certain food or activity. Is this what true surrender looks like? Or perhaps surrender means simply abstaining from the traditional “sins” of modern Christendom: smoking, swearing, dancing or gambling? Is this surrender? What of those Christ followers that do not subscribe to the aforementioned beliefs, are they lacking in some way so as not to be surrendered to Christ?

I believe a life lived in true surrender is a life lived in reverent awe of our God. Traditionally this has been referred to as “the fear of the Lord”. I read an absolutely outstanding definition of what it means to fear the Lord in the notes of my study Bible (since the actual author of the note is not identified, I will source my study Bible in full, The Apologetics Study Bible). There it is defined as “The worship of, and respectful submission to, the authority of God in every area of our life”. I believe a life lived in this manner will be a life lived in total surrender to God. It is a life in which we hold nothing back. Whatever we were or may have become has now been replaced with a life that honors God, a life that allows others to see Jesus through us.

Are you ready for this kind of surrender? Can you honestly say that you will put everything aside for Him? If not, what’s holding you back? What is it about your life that you don’t want to give up? Ask yourself, “is this thing more important to me than Jesus?” If you had to choose between that which you do not wish to give up and Jesus, what would your choice be? That may seem overly harsh or dramatic, but Jesus did not consider such a choice too great or dramatic for us. Are we followers of Christ or merely observers? Are we imitators or admirers?

We must each choose which path we will follow in life. If we should choose to follow Christ, the path is too narrow to allow baggage of any kind. That is why Jesus tells us we’ll have to give it all up and place it on Him. Only He is strong enough to shoulder the load on such a narrow way. Are we willing to surrender everything we have, all that we are in order to follow Jesus on the road He travels? The choice is ours, but it must be made. Are you ready to surrender every area of your life to Him? If not, why not? Will you remain a wishful admirer of Jesus or are you ready to imitate Christ in all you do? He demands true and total surrender; what is your response?


Preparing to Serve

by

Last week we talked about not waiting around for the perfect moment to start serving Christ (see, “Life is Not a Bus Stop”). There is a flip side to this coin as well: we must be prepared to serve. If you want to help the homeless, it’s rarely a good or effective idea to head downtown and simply start handing out hotel keys. You need to understand the environment and the mentality of those you wish to serve. Jesus told us to be shrewd (Matthew 10:16) in our dealings with the world, so we need to be wise in our decisions, and utilize the gifts with which we have been entrusted.

As with any venture in life, you must prepare for success before you can achieve it. Achievement rarely falls into your lap, but rather is the result of diligence and hard work. In the above scenario, before you start a ministry to the homeless, you need to study everything you can lay your hands on that pertains to homelessness. You need to understand the psychology of the citizens of the streets and learn the rules that govern them. Pray, study, pray, read, pray; prepare your heart, mind and body for the work that lies ahead of you. Volunteer at a shelter in your city or in several cities. The point is if you are not actively engaged in the ministry for which you are gifted, you need to be preparing for the road ahead. Success comes to the diligent, and if you will prepare well, you will find great joy once your ministry begins. The goal is to glorify Christ by using the gifts He has given us. We would do well to become well versed in their usage. Someone with the gift of music doesn’t one day pick up an instrument and begin to play flawless works. No, they practice for hours on end, day in and day out. They are honing their gift, just as we all must do, regardless of what our gifts may be.

It can be easy to become discouraged during this time of sowing or practicing. It’s also easy to become frustrated when we are involved in active ministry but we aren’t seeing any tangible results. These feelings are natural. We want to glorify our King; we want to be out in the battle. It really becomes a matter of attitude. Are we seeking to glorify God or ourselves? If we truly have Christ in mind, we will patiently and positively bide our time, diligently preparing ourselves for the moment we will find ourselves thrust onto the front lines. By keeping our talents sharpened and our focus always on Jesus, we will be prepared at any moment for whatever may come our way. Remember, ministry happens every day in the interactions you have with others. Pray and study, then actively seek to apply what you have learned to your own life and in service to others. Those without Christ are always watching us, watching our attitudes. Stay positive and ready to serve Jesus at all times.

Finally, whether you are in a sowing or reaping phase, whether you are practicing or executing, do it with excellence. You represent the King and Creator of the universe. Do no shoddy work for Jesus. Remember what He gave up for you; certainly we can give no less in return! God rewards the diligent. Today’s frustration is tomorrow’s joy and triumph. Keep moving regardless of where you are in life. Take action, and do so with excellence. Read the book of Proverbs and see all the wonderful wisdom contained in that book as it pertains to diligence and work. God has uniquely gifted you for service, not for discouragement. If you will hone and use your gifts unabashedly for Him, He will use you to glorify Himself. In so doing, you will find the peace and the joy you have been seeking.

Don’t wait for divine intervention; identify and learn how to use your gifts so that you might be prepared at any moment to be the very hands and feet of God. Remember to stay focused and maintain a positive attitude when nothing seems to be working. In all you do, do it with excellence. God has supplied you with gifts for His service; He expects us to learn to use them well. God will reward those who passionately seek to serve Him. Prepare to serve, and then serve well.


Go the Extra Mile

by

As Christians I believe we are called to live lives that are a cut above the rest of the world. I don’t mean to imply that we are somehow better than everyone else, but I do believe we are to act better than everyone else. We belong to no nation, but rather are citizens of the kingdom of God; this in and of itself should dictate that we be held to a higher standard.

A positive attitude will go a long way in setting yourself apart from the crowd. The world needs no more cynical, defeated individuals. We know Jesus; we have the antidote to a joyless existence! No matter how hard our struggles, we must always be mindful of the fact that Christ died for us. We also should always remember that no matter what’s going on in our lives, no matter how bad it may seem to us, there are millions in the world who are enduring worse things. You are blessed with life, and as long as you have that blessing, remember to be thankful for it and to smile! Smiling will make you feel physically and emotionally better. Smiling at someone else will have the same effect on them. Be the kind of person you enjoy being around. No matter the circumstance or conversation, always be positive and look for the good that is surely buried within the moment.

Jesus followed through on everything He said He would do. As His followers, we need to do the same. Whether the task is at work or at home, when we say we will do something, we need to see it through. Many are tempted to give up when what they are working on becomes difficult; do not be one of those people. Always complete the tasks you said you would complete, and complete it on or before the time you said that you would complete it. People are used to being let down by other people. You can differentiate yourself by simply following through for someone. Once you commit yourself to doing so, following through quickly becomes a habit. While it should be second nature to Christ-followers, seeing our tasks through will make us stand out in the world, thereby encouraging others to find out why we are different. Then we can tell them of the love of Christ and what He means to us.

In close relation to following through on what we say we will do, is doing everything we do with excellence. Always give more than is expected of you. Work a little harder or a little longer, don’t quit until the job is worthy of Christ Himself. Always do more than you are paid to do. You will gain a reputation among all who know you as someone who can be trusted and someone who everyone wants working for them! Again, attaining a reputation such as this will lead to many opportunities to share God’s love with others. Exceed expectations every single time. Jesus lived a life of pure excellence and I believe He demands nothing less from us. He has given us gifts and talents to do His work. With tools like these, how can our work be anything short of excellent?

Set yourself apart from the world as you serve others. Be humble as you do so, remembering you do what you do in honor of Jesus. Stay positive at all times, see all your tasks through to completion, and always give more than is expected of you. In so doing, you will demonstrate the difference that Christ has made in your life.

Life is Not a Bus Stop

by

Do you find yourself waiting for something to happen in your life? Are you certain that you were created to do great things, and are simply waiting for the right opportunity to arrive? Day after day you stand in the same spot, looking to the horizon to see if your moment is on its way. Perhaps you can even see it far off in the distance but it simply never comes near enough to pick you up and carry you off into the life you were meant to live. Life is not a bus stop; nothing was ever accomplished by waiting for opportunities to sweep you away and give you the life you always dreamed of. When we plan for what we intend to do, when we prayerfully consider whether our plans are in alignment with the character of God, and when we take action on those plans, then and only then will we begin to experience the life He has created us to live.

Many of us desire to follow Christ by living a life of greatness through the use of the gifts He has given us. We become so convinced that this is our calling that we sabotage ourselves by sitting around and waiting for the stars to align or a shout from Heaven to signal the beginning of our work. There is no Scriptural basis for any of this, so I am deeply puzzled how we ever got to this point. There is plenty of Scriptural support for planning your projects and your future. A plan, however, is useless if we don’t ever start to actively follow through. No plan is accomplished without action. You cannot wait your way to success, but you can certainly wait your way to failure. If you never take a step you aren’t actually walking. If you never start walking, you can’t follow Jesus. If you aren’t following Jesus, then you will never become who He created you to be.

To become all you were meant to be starts with following Jesus. Following Jesus starts by actively engaging in that pursuit. We must devote our entire lives to him. Every area of our life must be surrendered to Him for His use. We must surrender our thoughts, our deeds, our pleasures and our pain. From this point forward, all things must be done for Him. We no longer exist in and of ourselves, but instead exist only for Him. This must be our single focus, our definite chief aim. Let nothing persuade you from remaining steadfastly focused on Jesus. Keep your eyes on Him and do not stray from the path on which He is walking. Boldly move forward without fear of any man or circumstance. Embrace the freedom that is found in a life of following Christ, a life without fear. You will then be free to pursue the passions and dreams He has planted within you and to make use of the gifts with which He has equipped you.

Life is not meant to be a bus stop, it is meant to be a full throttle joyride rocketing down the road Christ has laid before you. Follow Him with certainty and without fear. Give up everything you have to experience the joy of true freedom. It all starts with us boldly taking action and pursuing Him with all that we are. Don’t get left behind; be bold, take action, and move!

For Whom Would You Die?

by

The most unfathomable concept in all of Christianity is the fact that Jesus died for us. This wasn’t some romantic fairy tale death of a hero. Nor was it the death of a man whom everyone knew deserved it. His was a real death, dirty, painful and torturous. He endured things that you and I can scarcely imagine, much less ever have to experience. Why? Because He loved us; He knew this was the only way. This was His mission. It was not something he necessarily wanted to endure, but He was willing to do so because He knew it was the only way. He would have to become the sacrifice so we might live. It’s odd to me that we often gloss over His death and how rarely we truly dwell on it. True, His resurrection is the brilliant culmination of the story, and the part that made it all worth it. But there would have been no resurrection had He not first chosen to die.

One of the things I often contemplate is what my reaction would be if I had to choose between being put to death and denying Christ. I am confident I would choose death. What if the choice was between ongoing torture and denying Christ, would my answer change? An untold number of our brothers and sisters in Christ face this very decision every day of their lives. Although I have some trepidation as to what effect physical torture might have on my resolve, I feel I can honestly say still that I would choose Christ and not deny Him. If you are a devoted follower of Jesus, I suspect that you feel the same as I do. No one wants to face a violent death or brutal torture, but we know He endured both of these things for us; we must be willing to do the same for Him.

Which leads me to an uncomfortable question: if we are willing to die for Christ, why is it we continually refuse to die to self? Are we more important than Christ? We say we would die for Him, but we won’t give up certain parts of our life to Him. “I’ll do anything for You Jesus, I’ll even die for you… just don’t ask me to give up [insert your idol of choice here]”. It cheapens our supposed commitment to Him. To imply that we are too precious to die for is almost blasphemous. He did not consider His own life too special to not offer it up for you. Yet every day we refuse to die to self, every time we protect our personal idols, we tell Him He’s just not worth it. God forgive us for our ignorance and our hardened hearts.

What parts of your life are you refusing to give up? Which parts of your life have you resisted putting to death? He gave up everything for us. It will be difficult and may cause some anguish. We may beg to hold on to our little idols. But only a life that is submitted to Christ in every area can claim to be following in the way of Christ. He did it for us; we must do it for Him. He died for us; we say we’d die for Him. But are we first willing to die to ourselves?