Even If i Walk Alone

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

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Do Something in Difficult Times

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After dealing with poverty over the last two posts (see “Haiti: What’s Our Response?” and “Unity and the Poor”), I had intended to move to a different topic today. But in addition to continuing to read Richard Stearns’ excellent “The Hole in Our Gospel”, I ran into these sobering words from Proverbs this morning:

“If you do nothing in a difficult time, your strength is limited. Rescue those being taken off to death, and save those stumbling toward slaughter. If you say, ‘But we didn’t know about this,’ won’t He who weighs hearts consider it? Won’t He who protects your life know? Won’t He repay a person according to his work?” Proverbs 24:10-12 (HCSB)

The fact is we do know what is going on in the world; we are aware. Never before has the world seemed so small. We have up to the minute newscasts available to us from almost every part of the world. Television, newspapers, magazines and the Internet put pictures and video right in front of our face. It is not that we are unaware of the poverty and evil in the world, it is simply that we do not care. What other conclusion can be drawn from our lives?

The above passage in Proverbs calls us to action in difficult times. There is strength in action; lack of action produces, and signifies, weakness. I do not want to stand before the Lord in weakness; I want to demonstrate the strength of His power through one willing to be used. How dare we pretend to be unaware of the plight of the poor, the homeless and the victims of war and genocide? Jesus said that the peacemakers will be blessed (Matthew 5:9). Yet we choose sides in every conflict and pray that the “right” side will win. There is no right side in war. There is only death and peace; those are the two actual faces of war. Pray for peace, pray for the enemy, pray for the lives lost and otherwise permanently affected by the violence. In addition, take action! Do something in the face of difficult times. We each have different gifts and capacities to help, we all have different circumstances and situations, but we can all do something. If you cannot help a hundred people, then help ten. If you cannot help ten people, then help one. We all can help one. This is how differences are made: one person, one precious human life, at a time.

You have probably heard the parable of the starfish before, but it is a relevant and helpful reminder to the problems we see in the world today:

“Once upon a time there was a philosopher who would walk along the beach every morning, thinking about how to help the world.One day as he was walking along the shore, he looked down the beach and saw a figure moving back and forth, rhythmically dancing to the day.

This gave him great pleasure, so he began to walk faster to catch up. As he got closer, he saw that it was a young woman and the young woman wasn’t dancing, but instead she was reaching down to the shore, picking up something and very gently throwing it into the ocean.

When he got closer he called out, ‘Good morning! What are you doing?’

The young woman looked up and replied with simple joy, ‘Throwing starfish in the ocean.’

The man looked puzzled and said: ‘I guess I should have asked why you are throwing starfish in the ocean?’

‘The sun is up and the tide is going out. And if I don’t throw them in they’ll die.’

‘But, don’t you realize that there are miles and miles of beach and starfish all along it. You can’t possibly make a difference!’ said the man.

The young woman listened politely. She then bent down, picked up another starfish and threw it into the sea past the breaking waves and said with a smile…

‘… but I made a difference to that one’.” –Anonymous

Some of us have the power to change the world. All of us have the power to change the world for one person. Together we can do amazing things in difficult times. We will draw strength from each other as we work to take the love of Christ to those in pain and poverty. The call is clear; the mission is set. What will you do in these difficult times?

Haiti: What’s Our Response?

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I try and steer away from tying in a blog post to a current event. My thinking is this gives the posts a more timeless element so that they can be applicable regardless of when you read them. The recent earthquake in Haiti (and subsequent aftershocks) has given me reason to break my unwritten rule. Looking at the pictures of devastation is heartbreaking. There is a great outpouring of support from the world at large which is heartening. At least we have not totally lost our soul; not yet anyway. As followers of Christ we must ask, “What is our response to the tragedy in Haiti?”

The most basic tenet of Christianity is to care for the poor and needy. Haiti is a poor country. They were before the earthquake; they are even more so now. As Christians it is our duty to serve them. We should have been serving them all along, but perhaps this tragedy will awaken our slumbering hearts. In mere moments, tens of thousands found themselves homeless, hungry and without basic sanitation. Tens of thousands more are no longer among the living. In the blink of an eye their lives ended and we lost the opportunity to serve them and to share the love of Jesus with them. It’s too late. We waited too long. We waited because missionary work was always someone else’s job. We waited because we were too afraid to give of our time or our money or ourselves. We waited because we were simply indifferent to the plight of a poor nation thousands of miles from our front door. While we waited, Jesus wept. He gave all He had for us. He died for us. He set the perfect example for our response to those in need. We ignored it.

Now, we are awake. Our eyes are open to the plight of these dear people. Each one of them is created in the image of God. Each one of them is loved unconditionally by the same Savior we call Lord. Do we love them? Are we willing to give everything we have to serve them? Will we open our checkbooks, our cupboards or our life to them? They are our brothers and sisters. Richard Stearns, President of World Vision, in his terrific “The Hole in Our Gospel”, writes “Authentic faith, rooted in the heart of God, is expressed in deeds done to ease the pain of others; it is imbued with personal sacrifice, and it comes with a cost.”

This is our opportunity; this is our time of great decision. We can rise up and stand with people of Haiti, or we can turn our back on Jesus and all we profess to believe. In a couple of weeks, Haiti will be off the front page, but the need will remain for years to come. So I ask again, what is our response to Haiti? Will we be unchanged by the tragic events or will we use it to open our eyes to the poor and suffering all over the world? Haiti needed us before the earthquake, and few of us did anything. Are we awake now? Do we now see the need that has been there all along and is far greater now? What will our response be to Haiti and the rest of the world in need? Whatever we do for them, we do for Jesus; if we turn away, we turn away from Jesus. How will you respond?

No Rest for the Righteous

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If you are like me, one of the biggest challenges of the Christian faith is simply keeping up your energy level. Despite practicing a faith of love, peace, hope, and acceptance, Christians are some of the most vilified and persecuted people on earth. This is sometimes difficult to remember in America. Even with the erosion of Christian values and the removal of public displays of faith in recent years, you are still free to practice your faith as you see fit. The worst we face here are prejudice and insult. Most will never have to choose between their faith and their teeth. Most will never face the reality of torture simply because they profess to love Jesus. For those in America and other countries of religious freedom, be thankful daily for that freedom and pray for our brothers and sisters who do face persecution, torture and even death.

Still, the Christian life in America is exhausting. While our trials would be laughable to those living under oppressive governments, they do not seem so trivial to those of us who endure them. Every day we are surrounded by non-believers. We are called to be different, to live different and to stand out. We are called to demonstrate the love of Christ to all people, even to those who, truth be told, drive us crazy. If we are to have a significant impact on the lives of those who do not know Christ, we cannot afford a letdown; we cannot afford a slip. Our days are spent guarding our lips, counting our words and diligently determining how to respond to every situation. It’s as if people cannot wait for us to slip up so they can point out that we are no better or different than they are.

While it is true that we are no better, it is definitely not true that we are no different. We have the Spirit of God living within us. We have pledged our allegiance to the Creator of the Universe. For we who are wholly committed to this servanthood, we desperately long to love everyone we meet and to tell them the reason for our joy. We long to be caring friends to all those around us; we long to be careful and attentive listeners. We long to reflect the love and character of Jesus. To live up to the label of “Follower of Jesus” is the ultimate goal.

Yet, I get tired. Following in the footsteps of Jesus is a long and arduous journey, one fraught with peril. I never want to quit, but I often want to rest. This is not an option. Time is both finite and fleeting. If I rest, to whom might I miss the opportunity to minister? If I rest, who will fill my place? Each of us has a distinctive and equally important role to play in this world. We all have work to do that was created specifically for our talents and gifts. We are, each one of us, a vital cog in the plan of God. Rest is not an option. When you are exhausted and in need of rest, retreat to a time of prayer and study of God’s Word. Drink deeply and return to the front lines. I need you there; we all need you there. I want to be there with you. Oh, that Christians would take their call seriously, push through their exhaustion, and live a life of total commitment to their King.

They will laugh at you, but its okay; they laughed at Jesus. They will mock you, but it’s okay; they mocked Jesus as well. They may hurt you, but this too is okay; they put Jesus to death. Remember whom you serve. Remember what He endured for you. We must not rest, we must not tire. We have got to share the love of Jesus with the entire world. This must be our lone desire.

Integrity

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Are you a person of integrity? As I have stated previously on this blog, I believe integrity is an all or nothing character trait. You do not have amounts of integrity; it is either something you do or do not have. To be a person of integrity is to be above reproach at all times. So how could anyone possibly live a life of integrity when we constantly mess up and fail?

I believe living a life of integrity means you are constantly building your integrity. Whether or not you have integrity is really more of a heart attitude. What, in the very depths of your soul, at your core, do you desire? Do you want to be someone who never cheats, never lies, never cuts corners, and always puts the interests of others before themselves? If you do, I believe you have integrity. However, that integrity needs to be manifested in your behavior. Every day we are building or tearing down our perceived integrity. To put this in another way, whether or not we have integrity is a heart issue; whether or not we demonstrate that integrity is a matter of choices.

In the business world, you build integrity every time you are honest with a client. You build integrity when you put the needs of your customers and your employees before the needs of yourself. Every time you refuse to cut corners, you build your integrity. In business, the most successful individuals are historically those with a perceived high degree of integrity.

Integrity is demonstrated in our relationships as well. Here again, putting the needs of your husband or wife before your own shows that you have integrity in your relationship. Modeling respect for your spouse (or boyfriend or girlfriend) also shows integrity. For example, noticing an attractive member of the opposite sex does not show a lack of integrity. However, letting your gaze linger and your mind ponder possibilities with that individual shows a complete lack of integrity. You promised an unwavering life-long commitment to your partner, and a person of integrity honors their commitments. Jesus says that if we think something sinful, it is the same as having done it. Having integrity in our thought life is one of the most important traits a Christian can have. It is also one of the most difficult.

I suppose you may be wondering why we’re having this discussion of integrity. Simply put, if we cannot be people of integrity in our dealings with everyday life, we stand no chance of living a life of integrity when it comes to serving Jesus. We committed our lives to Him, but how many of us are living out that commitment? Do you keep your eyes fixed on the Holy Son of God, or do they wander to the pleasures of this life, consumed by the lure of instant gratification?
Are we demonstrating integrity in our financial habits? Are you spending more on your entertainment than you are in caring for the poor and needy? Do we demonstrate integrity in our thought life? To quote the late Keith Green, “What’s playing in the theater of your mind?” This is the acid test for integrity: are you living a life devoted to Christ and others, or are you pursuing your own pleasure and happiness?

Tom Ziglar points out a couple of great results of integrity: we never feel guilty about our actions, and we never have anything to hide. If we are living our lives for Christ, then we never need to fear. We can be totally honest with everyone we meet for we have nothing to hide. We can sleep at night without guilt, without regret, for we know we are doing the things Christ would do. We are free, freer than we could ever hope to be otherwise. A lack of integrity brings guilt and fear and wears us down from the endless pursuit of trying to maintain a façade.

Search your heart. Are you a person of integrity? Do you want to serve Christ more than anything in this world? Are you prepared to do whatever it takes to follow Him? If not, pray and ask that God would give you integrity and the strength to demonstrate that integrity through your actions. As a person of integrity, we will love others at all times, assist them in their struggles and serve God every waking moment. Be a person of integrity. Serve Christ with all your heart. When you fall, get up quickly and continue your journey with Him. Let’s build the Kingdom without guilt and with nothing to hide. Determine that today is the day you become a person of integrity. Put the world on notice; from this day forward you will serve and follow Christ with integrity in all aspects of your life.

Who Will You Become?

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The last three blog entries dealt with setting goals for the New Year (see “Goals for the New Year”, part 1, part 2, and part 3). The New Year has now arrived and I hope you have taken the time to think about the upcoming year and set some goals for yourself. Ultimately, the goal setting exercise can be effectively boiled down to a single question, which is what I wish to discuss today. That question is, “Who will you become this year?”

When 2010 is over, what kind of person will you be? If you do not strive to know Jesus better every day of this year, it is unlikely you will have your best year ever. Nothing creates satisfaction more than knowing you are walking in the way Jesus walked, living as He did and acting as He did. As we do these things we begin to see and live the life He intended for us. We can never be truly fulfilled and happy when we are living any other way. God instilled in each of us a passion to seek Him and to follow Him. Not doing so breeds frustration, anger and despair. When we aren’t living the life He designed for us, we will not find satisfaction, though we may try, in our work, our leisure or our relationships. So when 2010 draws to a close, will you be living – or at least attempting to live – the life you were created to live?

When 2010 is over, how will other people describe you? As we aspire to live out our passions, we can become consumed by learning what that life looks like. It generally involves countless hours of study and reflection. The danger here is the risk of becoming self-absorbed. We can be so engulfed in seeking the “how” to live that we lose sight of the “why” we should do so. Regardless of anything else, regardless of your passions and gifts, they are to be used to further the Kingdom of God and to love and help others along the way. We cannot do this in isolation, huddled behind our books and sheltered from the distraction of the world outside. Without putting action behind our mission, we will never achieve the life God intends for us. So when 2010 draws to a close, will others see you as loving, humble, compassionate, generous and full of wisdom? Or will they see a selfish, self-absorbed, studious but ultimately worthless person? Who will you become, and will it be obvious to others?

When 2010 is over, will you be closer to Christ, or further from Him, than you were at the close of 2009? This is really the core of the question. Will you know Christ more deeply when this year is done than you did at the close of the last one? Do you truly desire to know Him, love Him, reflect Him and take His message to a world of hurting people? This is all there is. Nothing else matters in this life. Regardless of our success or achievements, nothing will mean a thing if we do not have the love of Christ overflowing from within us. There is no satisfaction apart from living the life He intended for you to live. There is no way to live that life without knowing Him fully and deeply. As we embark on the journey of a new year together, let’s learn to know and love Him more. Let’s serve Him with fantastic passion and excellence. In this way, 2010 will be the best year of our lives. So it’s gut check time; when 2010 is over, who will you have become?