Even If i Walk Alone

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

Discipline

Deny Yourself

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In Matthew 16, verse 24, Jesus tells His followers that “If anyone wants to come with Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me.” It is common among Christians to talk about “taking up your cross”.

Cookies and milk - a luxury

We generally pull that out whenever we are going through some sort of trial. Yet we don’t hear a lot in our modern churches about denying ourselves. It seems we’ve relegated that to the people of the past, the super-spiritual or the mystics. After all, denying oneself is a wholly un-American way to think.

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Defining Your Brand

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In my coaching business, there is a lot of emphasis on developing your personal brand. It’s important to define who you are and what people can expect from you at all times. As a follower of Christ, I think it’s equally important to be conscious of our brand in the eyes of the world. We need to be certain we are accurately portraying the message of Jesus in everything that we do.

Person in contemplative prayer

You shouldn’t need a sign around your neck to tell people what you stand for in life. Rather, if we are living consistently with the mission of Christ, it will be self-evident. [Read more…] about Defining Your Brand

Living with Passion

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What does it mean to live with passion for the sake of Jesus Christ? Those of us who seek to follow Him would probably agree that it is our desire to live a life full of passion, a life fully alive in Him. In practice, however, our resolve can wane and we end up swept away by the tides of life.

Living With Passion

As long as we are focused on ourselves, we will never come to terms with what it means to live a life of devotion. To experience the life of joy found only in Christ, our focus must be on Him and Him alone. [Read more…] about Living with Passion

Blind Spots

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What am I missing? In my pursuit of Jesus, what have I overlooked? Where are my blind spots? I think these are all fair questions to reflect on as we strive to live a life of service to our Lord. I certainly have no corner on the truth and I obviously do not have all the answers. That’s why I believe it is important to occasionally examine how we’re living and reevaluate if there is more we could be doing to reflect the love of Jesus to our world. We need the input of fellow traveler’s and eagerly accept course corrections when they are pointed out to us, as we seek His kingdom in everything we do.

Nothing is so clarifying as the Bible. One of my favorite mysteries in life is how I can read a passage I’ve read a hundred times before and somehow gain brand new insight. Examining the life of Christ helps me understand the ways I need to respond in various situations. Both the Old and New Testaments provide instruction on properly molding my attitudes towards others and give wisdom in dealing with everyday life. There is no substitute for reading the Word of God. This is our primary reference point for how to live and serve. By consistently immersing ourselves in Scripture, we will be constantly reminded how we can best serve those in need and bring glory to Christ.

Make a habit of reading books by authors who have studied the Word and have fresh insights to offer. If you aren’t a reader, listen to audio books. God has not stopped speaking through willing servants, and He inspires them to teach truth to the rest of the body. Prayerfully consider what you read and always check what you learn against Scripture. Someone else may look at a Bible passage from an entirely different perspective and allow you to learn many new things from their viewpoint. We all learn from each other in community; this is one of the purposes of the Church. God is a relational being and we are created in His image; therefore it is important to associate with other believers, both in person and vicariously through the writing of others.

Finally, we can learn much from gathering with our Christian brothers and sisters. As you gather together at your regular fellowship, glean all you can from the message that is presented. Drink deeply of any worship that you engage in as a body. These are rich times that we are privileged to freely enjoy in the Western world, and we must not take them for granted. Beyond the time spent at your weekly worship service, find friends who will join you on your journey. Nothing beats face to face interaction, but even friends made online can be very beneficial to helping you stay on track as you seek to serve Christ. Find an accountability partner, someone who will watch your life as you watch theirs. Agree to regular meetings or phone calls to check in with each other’s progress. I have found this one discipline can to lead to amazing growth.

Recognizing that we never know it all allows us to guiltlessly seek the help of others. Don’t neglect the resources with which God has blessed you. We are blessed to live in a country that affords us many ways to further learn about God; utilize all that you can. Study the Bible, read inspirational books that instruct you in the ways of Christ, and get involved with a group of people who are equally committed to living lives that look like Jesus. Reflect often on where you may be falling short and perhaps giving Satan an opportunity to attack. Doing these things will reveal your current blind spots and prevent new ones from forming in the future.

A Meaningful Life

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Living life on purpose is a daunting but achievable task. It means planning our days and designing our life to look like the One whom we serve – Jesus Christ. We cannot hope to be an obedient follower simply by praying a prayer and then assuming everything else will take care of itself. That’s like deciding to learn how to play an instrument by signing up for a class. It takes more than signing on. It takes attending the classes, learning the exercises, and practicing for hours each day. Mastering an instrument requires a steely discipline, a significant sacrifice and a probably a few tears along the way. It is the same with following Jesus.

Without disciplining ourselves to follow in His footsteps, we will never grow to become the person He created us to be. We have to examine the way He lived and then integrate those principles into our own life. Jesus often withdrew to pray alone. He took every opportunity to speak to others about God. He was never too busy to take time for someone in need. He touched the sick and had compassion for the poor and dying. Are these traits evident in our lives? Do we have a scheduled time to get alone, away from distraction, just to communicate with the Father? We all need to take time for these moments of intimacy through prayer, listening and talking to God. Do we take the time to truly invest in the lives of others, or are we so distracted and consumed with the busyness of our lives that we simply pass them by? Do we care for the sick or look the other way? What is our attitude towards the poor and the dying? Do we give of our own resources to comfort and aid them in their distress? If we would live a life dedicated to Christ, we must learn to do the things He did and love as He loved. This will require a conscious effort on our part, one that will need to be intentionally implemented and constantly practiced. To be certain, we will often fail to reflect the love of Christ, but the more we practice, the brighter we will shine.

Following Jesus will require a fair amount of sacrifice on our behalf. We will have to make choices that bring little satisfaction in the short run but reap great long term results. If we would follow Christ, we will need to put away the things in life that bring temporal pleasure in exchange for the activities that deliver eternal joy. Our time and money will need to be surrendered to His kingdom instead of being spent to satisfy our selfish desires. Ultimately we may be called upon to make the ultimate sacrifice and give our very lives because of our identity with Christ. Many Christians overlook the fact that Jesus told us that we would face persecution (Matthew 5:11) and even death because of Him. If we are serious about pursuing Jesus, we must be willing to sacrifice as He did; without sacrifice there is no salvation.

As we practice walking as He did, as we face persecution for our beliefs, it is natural to become frustrated and discouraged. Following Jesus can be painful and hard. As Margaret Becker once wrote, “God’s not afraid of your honesty”; it’s okay to cry and let Him know exactly how you feel and where it hurts. He loves you and cares for you. Ultimately He will heal us and bring us into His presence to live forever. Tears are both cleansing and healing, so let it out and then get back to the work of following Him.

It’s been said many times, but following Jesus is not a spectator sport; it is an active and passionate pursuit. If He is our goal, then it is our responsibility to live intentionally and on purpose for Him. By disciplining our lives to look like His and practicing the things He did and told us to do, by sacrificing all we are for all He is, and by not being afraid to give him our burdens and frustrations, we will find a life that is fulfilling and meaningful. We will find life as it was meant to be lived. We will find the heart of Jesus.