Even If i Walk Alone

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

Ephesians

Unity and Peace

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My dad is a retired pastor (contradicted by the steady number of Sundays he continues to preach at various churches around the area!), so I have seen more than most of what goes on behind the scenes in churches. The backbiting and sniping, the conniving and planning, and the outright wickedness and lies; I’ve seen it all. Don’t misunderstand me; those engaging in these activities are always a small minority of the people attending church. This group does, however, point out how easy it seems to be for Christians to be anything but unified. There is as much discord in your typical church as there is within your typical political party. This isn’t how it is supposed to be. We are instructed to diligently seek unity. Diligence is defined as “constant and earnest effort to accomplish what is undertaken”. This is not a word that means to nonchalantly give lip service to our efforts. We must be constantly seeking unity. Unity is difficult to achieve, division is easy. It’s far less work to complain about someone else than to work towards a solution. It’s far easier to criticize the ideas of others than to present one of your own. It seems like most of our efforts result in tearing apart rather than building up. As long as we are pulling in disparate directions, our effectiveness will be significantly hindered. Cooperation yields incredible power by sheer quantity of scale. As the saying goes, “None of us is as smart as all of us.” In the same way, none of us is as strong as all of us. As Jesus Himself said, wherever two or three are gathered together in His name, He will be there with them (Matthew 18:20). There is great power in unity.

In Ephesians 4:3, we find the key to unity: peace. If we live in peace with one another, unity will come easily. The problem is we live in anything but peace. We are far more interested in establishing our own superiority. We want to be the one everyone else looks up to or seeks out in times of trouble. We want to be seen as the wisest and most spiritual person in our group. Whenever anyone else appears to be taking on that role, we are quick to attack them. Suddenly we see it as our duty to expose their every fault. As a result, we give them no peace, nor do we have any of our own. If we would follow Jesus then we must follow His pattern of peace. He did not react violently when violence was being inflicted upon Him; He did not reject others though they rejected Him. Instead, He chose to respond in peace and with tender love to all. He was a man of peace, consumed with a passion for God and people, but determined to demonstrate victory through love and not force. He succeeded beyond all comprehension. Jesus began the largest and most enduring movement in history without ever “firing a shot”. Jesus won the war of eternity through the use of His love and with an attitude of peace. He is all inclusive and will never berate or look down on anyone. He simply loves you, and in His love, He brings perfect peace to all who ask. Live in peace with your brothers and sisters in Christ. Diligently, and without exception, work at building unity with one another. Peace will draw us together into unity, and peace will hold that very unity together.

Are you doing all you can to live in peace and unity with all those around you? Are you living that way among your Christian brothers and sisters? It is paramount that we who profess to be followers of Jesus love one another, care for one another and seek unity in all things. The devil takes great delight in our infighting because it frustrates and hinders our effectiveness. We must remember at all times that we have a common enemy. The battle for the Kingdom is not about us, but rather about Christ living through us. The next time you are tempted to gossip, to berate or to lash out at your brother or sister, stop and ask yourself if it is the way Jesus would react. Ask yourself if your words or actions will work toward an environment of unity and peace. Take yourself out of the equation and let the peace of Christ reign among us as we live in unity for His name and His glory.

Humility, Patience and Love

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Humility is a hard thing in a selfish world. As the old saying goes, “It’s hard to be humble when you’re so great!” The entire world around us is conditioned to self-centeredness, and we have bought in fully. To be certain, humility does not come naturally. We like to be the center of attention and to receive credit or recognition. As long as we see ourselves as the most important person in the world, we will never achieve humility. The key to being humble is to see others as more significant than you. True humility occurs when you see yourself as the servant to all, not just to a select few. Jesus was humble beyond belief. He who had more power than anyone who ever walked this earth was not too proud to wash dirty feet, touch filthy sores or to remain stoic in the face of false accusations. As with all things, Christ is our model. If He could be humble in every circumstance, then so must we.

Patience is incredibly difficult for some, and I often struggle with it. We have grown up in a world that has become increasingly “instant”. My generation has seen (so far) the advent of the personal computer, the microwave oven, the internet, the iPod, etc. I could go on and on. Every new invention seems to be geared to providing instantly what once took considerably longer to achieve. We no longer need to wait for food, entertainment or answers; they are all at our fingertips. Advertising has become a blur of images made to match (and quicken) our pulse. The world is frenetic, somewhat chaotic and ever changing. It is everything except patient. I don’t know if it was easier for earlier generations to be patient, but it certainly seems like it would have been. I have often yearned for a simpler, slower life. It seems as if this world will no longer allow it, yet still some seem to achieve it. What is the secret? How can we learn to be patient? Jesus, again, is the answer (are you sensing a theme?). He taught us to take the long view of things, to keep everything in perspective. This is the key I believe. Things that we must wait for are always sweeter than something acquired in an instant. Without patience there is a lack of appreciation. There is no bar to achievement so there is little keeping us from later easily discarding the very same thing we once “had to have”. I believe that something truly worth having is something worth waiting for; we will then have a greater appreciation for it, and we will cherish and care for what God has entrusted to us. We rarely think of impatient people as attractive; on the other hand, patient people are beautiful. They have a quiet grace about them. I believe this is why we are instructed to model this trait.

Loving one another is an old subject for those of us who have chosen to follow Jesus. We must be careful not to simply gloss over the word. Jesus said we are to love Him with all of our heart and soul. This is the same love we are to give to others as well. Its one thing to give total devotion to our Lord (though if we are honest, we must admit we fail far more often than not); it is quite another thing to love a total stranger with the kind of love that dictates you would die for them. Yet this is central to being an authentic follower of Jesus. Without love, our words are useless; our actions are futile. God is beautiful because He is love. We are to reflect the glory and beauty of Christ. We can only do this if we model His love to others. Without love, you may as well not even strive for the other areas of Christ’s mission. Without love, all else is wasted and useless. Judging others is something we all do far too frequently. Jesus told us not to judge, but rather to love. Never look at anyone else as something less than yourself. Accept everyone just as they are: beautiful creations of God. Each one of us was created for a purpose and to bring glory to God. We are invaluable and priceless, each one of us. Not one soul has any more worth than another; nor do they possess any less worth. We are truly equal in God’s eyes. Show love to one another; accept every person recognizing what a marvelous creation they are. By accepting and loving others, we bring glory to God. We love as He loves.

By modeling the traits of Jesus, by incorporating His habits into our own lives, we will glorify Him and reflect His light to others. These three traits – humility, patience and love – will go a long way toward transforming your life into one that looks like Jesus. Determine to begin to work on each of these areas in your own life. Speak the words to yourself as you go throughout your day, especially in times when you are tempted to respond in a way that is contrary to these attributes. Choose to respond as Jesus would. Repeat daily. As you pursue Jesus and the life He lived, you will find that demonstrating humility, patience and love become wonderful habits in your life. In this way you will glorify God and prove yourselves worthy of the calling you have received (Ephesians 4:1, 2).

Potential Lost

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Each of us has been given a unique combination of gifts with which to further the Kingdom of God. Some gifts are more readily apparent and some are more subtle, but each of us has indeed been given gifts from God (Ephesians 4:7, 8; 11-13). We have been entrusted with all we need to make the kingdom of God a reality here on earth. Indeed, it is our calling as followers of Jesus. Our gifts work best and most effectively when combined with the gifts of others. We were created for relationships and for community. The gifts of one are multiplied exponentially when combined with the gifts of another.

Much like we are to be good stewards of the money God has entrusted us to manage, so too we must be good stewards of the gifts He has given to each of us. Your gifts can be used for good, used for evil, or perhaps most tragically, not used at all. If one has been blessed with a high level of charisma, they can obviously use that gift to influence others for Christ, or they can selfishly choose to use their gift to further their own agenda. I believe there is a special thrill in Hell when Satan convinces a follower of Jesus to use God’s gifts to further their own personal goals. We will have to give an account of how we used the talents God entrusted to us. Just like our time, our money or our words, we alone are responsible for their usage.

Like an accomplished musician, to make full use of our gifts, we must practice and hone their usage. Having a gift is not a pass to allow you to be lazy and never have to work at using that gift. Lack of use will cause a gift to atrophy. We are responsible not only for using our gifts for good, but also for discovering how we might best use our talent, and do so in a way that is unique to us. No two people will manifest a gift in the exact same way. Just as each soul is unique, so is the expression of each gift given by God. We alone can use our talent the way we do. We alone can fill our place within the grand movement of time within God’s plan for our world. It is an awesome and frightening responsibility. Our only chance of success is to give ourselves wholly to God and to be constantly practicing the use of our gifts.

Whether or not we will be able to make full use of our gifts depends on us having a heart purely devoted to God. Only when our hearts are totally given to Him can His power course unimpeded through our souls. Only when we are totally surrendered to Him will we be able to observe the glory of God expressed through the gifts He has entrusted to us. We often remark how sad it is when someone’s life is unexpectedly cut short. Perhaps sadder still is all of the unused potential that dies with that person. We have no idea how long we have left on this earth. Life could end at any moment for any one of us. I don’t want to die with unused potential inside of me. It is our job to work diligently to fully utilize all that God has entrusted to us for as long we are able.

How are you using your gifts? Are you more interested in fulfilling your own needs or the needs of those around you? Are you regularly exercising your gifts or do you simply make use of them when convenient? Finally, are you doing all you can to express every last ounce of usefulness out of your talents? Are you doing your part to advance God’s kingdom here on earth? You have been entrusted with great power and great responsibility; don’t waste it! When your time is done, don’t be caught with potential still inside of you. Burn brightly for Jesus in every way; use what God has given you, use it well, and most importantly, use it up. Don’t leave this world with a hole in the kingdom because of your lost potential.

Here’s to Revolution

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The book, “The Hole in our Gospel”, by Richard Stearns, continues to provoke and inspire me. Currently, I’m reading through it for the second time this year, and it’s every bit as good the second time around. This morning I read the following passage in the book (page 244), “The difference between the pre- and post-resurrection disciples was astonishing. Fear became courage; timidity became boldness; uncertainty became confidence as their lives were given over to the revolution that the gospel – the good news – envisioned.” He continues a bit later on page 245, “We won’t really become change agents for Christ just by going to church every Sunday. We will have to make some ‘on purpose’ life choices and then change our priorities and behavior. Only then can God transform us and use us to change the world.” We are called to be part of the revolution that is following Jesus. Let’s break down the words of Richard Stearns as I see them applying to us, God’s revolutionaries.

Fear becomes courage. There is no fear in Jesus. He is capable of deflecting any pain and evil from our life, if He should so choose. Just as He did not call on the angels of Heaven to rescue Him from the cross, He does not guarantee that He will keep us from harm. He does, however, promise to protect us from Satan (John 17:15). We may be hurt or discouraged in this world, but we have the eternal hope of Jesus. No matter what happens to us in this life, if we are His disciples, our eternity is guaranteed to be spent with Christ. Knowing this, what could possibly scare us – Physical pain, emotional trauma, embarrassment, discouragement or simply not fitting in? Every human on this earth is a person just like you and me. No one is intrinsically better than another. If anything can be accomplished, it can be accomplished by you. Jesus was never ashamed of God when He spoke to those around Him; He was never ashamed of those to whom He ministered. Rather, He loved the Father and everyone else with a passionate and unconditional love. He wasn’t afraid to be seen with “sinners” or to touch the sick and dying. He wasn’t afraid to die for our sake. Jesus was courageous in every way. He demonstrated no fear. His power is available for the asking, His courage is available to you.

Timidity becomes boldness. Are you fearful to speak about Jesus to strangers, or even to those whom you know? Perhaps the thought of confrontation makes your stomach turn and firmly ties your tongue. Look at the life Christ lived; he was accused of many things, but timidity was never one of them! Jesus knew His mission well and He refused to be deterred from it. The shortest distance between two points may well be a straight line, but the quickest way to travel between those same two points is with boldness. We haven’t the option to be timid because our time is limited and our days are few. This is why Paul asked the believers in Corinth to pray for him to boldly proclaim the good news of Jesus (Ephesians 6:19). Timidity breeds hesitation, and when we hesitate, the moment is lost. We must never lose another moment. We must make the most of every opportunity that we are given. We can be bold in Christ; if you struggle with timidity, pray and ask Jesus to fill you with urgency and strength of character. Don’t hesitate.

Uncertainty becomes confidence. Left to our own devices, we are never quite sure if we’re doing the right thing or moving in the right direction. We agonize over our many decisions, doing everything we can to minimize the chance of error. Life seems to come at us from all directions and at break-neck speed. We become overwhelmed, lost, and confused. The ultimate GPS (God’s Positioning Service, in our case) is only a prayer away. God never loses His place, and He never loses your place in His plan. Seek wisdom from other followers of Christ, from older folks, and your peers when faced with a decision. Above all else, pray over any decision you must make. Tell Jesus of your desire to serve Him in every way and ask for His wisdom in the situation you face. After this, the next step is easy: choose! Gather what wisdom you can; come clean to God regarding your uncertainty, doubt and confusion. Then make a decision. God knows your heart and He will honor your search for wisdom. Seek Him first, and then relax. Move forward with confidence.

We are the called, we are the chosen; we are the revolutionaries of God. We are to be His agents of change in this world. Let us devote our lives fully to Him. Only then can we follow Him on the path He walks before us. Love God, love people. His power is available to each of us; we must simply ask Him for it. Through His power we can follow Jesus courageously, without fear, with boldness, and with utter confidence. Through His power we can change the world. Here’s to revolution!

Negativity

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It has always struck me as curious when I run into a follower of Christ who has a negative attitude. We of all people should always be positive because of the hope in Jesus to which we cling so tightly. Indeed, as followers of Christ, we are called to hope (Ephesians 4:4). How is it then that so many Christians live their lives in a state of negativity, finding fault with everyone and reasons why every idea will fail? The answers may be as varied as the people who posses such a quality, but I believe the cure and the prevention is universal.

There is great truth to the statement that we become what we think about. If we focus on the negative aspects of what is happening around us we will, in time, become negative people. If we look upon the positive side of things we will, in the same way, become a positive person. It’s truly just a matter of mindset. In some ways I am tempted to believe that there should be no such thing as a Christian pessimist. While I don’t intend to imply that we should walk through life wearing rose colored glasses as we must be shrewd and perspicacious in our dealings with others, but we can choose to always believe the best and see the best in others and in every situation.

Another curious law is the fact that negative people tend to attract negative things into their lives; positive people tend to draw positive things to them. I had a friend who used to constantly tell me that the number 43 was the most common number in the world. He would say it over and over again. Guess what happened? Everywhere we went, we kept seeing the number 43. It was on signs, parking lots, radio, and television; it was everywhere! Does the number 43 really occur more often in nature than any other number? Of course not! The fact was I was now thinking about the number a lot, and so I was finding it everywhere. The same law applies in turn such that if we think negative thoughts, we will find negativity all around us. Think positively, and you will draw positive experiences to you. Hope is positive, and Jesus is the King of hope. Think about Jesus, and He will come near to you (James 4:8). How can you think of Him and put out negative thoughts into the world?

If you find yourself thinking negative thoughts, you must practice the habit of capturing them as soon as they creep into your mind. Grab the thought and force yourself to find something positive in the situation. A great rule is to never permit yourself or any of your acquaintances to say something negative before they have said something positive in any given situation. In this way you will learn to be positive-first thinkers. Thinking positively is easily accomplished by looking at every situation as Christ would look at it. Take a step back and look again with love and empathy. How can you shine Christ’s love onto the scene rather than making it worse with some acidic comment?

Finally, I’ve noticed that negativity is often an excuse for fear. People are afraid of saying something positive because it might require something of them. For example, I’ve heard people criticize the relief efforts in the recent earthquakes. They say negative things like, “they are probably all dead already”, “they’ll never find anyone alive” or “what good will those two people from my church do amongst all that rubble?” Deep inside, I believe these people fear that if they don’t criticize the effort, they may be compelled to go themselves. And that would be uncomfortable; that would be inconvenient. Easier to throw water on someone else’s fire than to fan the flames of your own calling.

Don’t be a negative person; you have Christ within you. You will become what you think about, so think only of Christ and things of beauty (Philippians 4:8). Practice being positive-first people, and throwing out negative thoughts. Approach every situation with love and empathy. Above all, don’t quench the spirit of others because you are simply too afraid to do what they do. We are people of love and hope. There is no negativity in Christ. Live His love loudly.