Even If i Walk Alone

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

gifts

What Am I Supposed To Do With My Life?

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Are you fully utilizing your gifts? You have been uniquely equipped and created to accomplish specific tasks. Are you pursuing those tasks? I know one of the hardest questions people deal with is “what am I supposed to do with my life?” We spend countless hours, read book after book and even attend seminars to help us determine what we are to do with our life. After all, if we are created to accomplish specific tasks, how do we determine what those tasks actually are? It can seem very frustrating.

Regular readers know I’m not going to leave you hanging. You might even expect some new insight to help you determine what to do. But I have even better news… you already have within you the knowledge of what you are meant to do with your life! What are you passionate about? What is the one thing (or perhaps even multiple things) that you absolutely love to do? What is it that you could do all day and time would just fly by? These are your gifts. God has entrusted them to you that you might use them to further His mission. Every gift has a Kingdom purpose, a purpose that can be used by God to draw others to Him.

So if you’re with me so far, perhaps you have some idea of what your gifts are but you are probably still wondering how that relates to the work or tasks you were created to accomplish. I certainly don’t pretend to have any special insight into your life or circumstances, but I do know an undeniable truth: if you passionately practice the gifts God has given you, the tasks will become evident all on their own. By being available to be used and faithful to use your God-given gifts, the things you are meant to accomplish will simply become obvious. I know it sounds pretty simple compared to most of those books and seminars, but if you haven’t noticed, imperfect people (that would be folks like you and me) tend to overcomplicate the very simple message of Jesus.

There is no magic formula, no untapped fount of wisdom from which to draw out your life goals. God has already put everything you need inside of you. It is up to us to be faithful and use that with which He has blessed us. So take an accounting of your gifts. You more than likely are already aware of the things you are passionate about. Do those things, and do them often. Just as a musician must practice countless hours to hone his craft, we must practice to master the use of our gifts. We have been given the raw talent, and it is now up to us to use, refine and master that talent. Fortunately, God is a patient teacher and will always be by our side encouraging and instructing. As we become skilled at using our talents as we exercise our passions, God will undoubtedly use those very actions to glorify Himself. Don’t squelch your passions and in doing so waste your life. Practice your passion, use your gifts and live an extraordinary life of devotion to Jesus.

Moving Toward Your Goals

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Did you ever have one of those conversations that feel like someone just threw a glass of cold water in your face? Wisdom can come from the most unlikely of sources, yet one more reminder that God has an incredible sense of humor. It’s so easy to get caught up in the details of our day to day lives that we can lose track of what we’re actually trying to accomplish. I was recently talking with someone I’d never met before about doing some work together. He simply asked what my ideal job would be. When I told him, he responded with, “and how does doing this job move you toward that goal?” Wow; that unsettled me because I knew that working with him would do absolutely nothing to move me toward my goals in life. It was a simple statement from a stranger, someone younger than I, and with far less experience in this world; I don’t even know if the man is a believer in Christ. I only know that, at least on this night, God used him to speak wisdom into my life.

It’s amazing what we can hear, what we can learn, if only we are open to do so. While it is not the topic of this post, I encourage you to be ever listening for and ever seeking the voice of God. I think you’ll be surprised at some of the ways He chooses to speak. Personally, I love that; I love that God is unpredictable, unashamed and lacks all pretense. He simply loves us and will speak to us in any and every possible way.

But back to the question of my new friend: how is what you are doing today moving you toward your life goals? Perhaps we should back up and make certain you actually have life goals. Do you have a well defined purpose for your life? Are you pursuing things you are passionate about, things that God has uniquely gifted you to do? There is a well documented but rarely followed secret to accomplishing your goals: you must write them down. Write down your life goals on a sheet of paper and put a date next to each one. This is the date you will accomplish that goal. Now work backwards from the date and write down the tasks you will need to complete in order to reach your goal. Read through your goals no less than every week. Read them daily or twice a day. Constantly remind yourself of what you are working towards, and those things you must do to reach each goal.

Armed with a list of your goals, reminding yourself of them regularly, you will be well equipped to determine if the task at hand moves you toward or away from your goals. You will spend your life doing one or the other. I don’t want to live a life that constantly moves me away from my goals. I don’t want to face God when my days are done with the knowledge that I left unfinished the work He gave me to do. Life is but a vapor, just a breath. Our time is short and fleeting. Don’t waste your life moving away from your goals. Embrace your mission and only take on tasks that move you forward. Only God and you can say for sure what your unique mission, your unique goals will be. I do know that followers of Jesus will always have goals that in some way will advance His kingdom, His love and His mission. You are uniquely equipped to accomplish your goals. Make sure your mission aligns with His, that your goals advance that mission, and that you spend each day of your life doing things that will lead to the accomplishment of those goals. For this you were created, and for this you are called to live.

Where Are You From?

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For many years growing up, I used to dread the inevitable, “Where you from?” question that came with introductions to new people. As a military “brat”, we moved around a lot. I had lived in three states and in three different countries before I ever hit first grade. While being exposed to different cultures and ethnic groups has forever shaped who I am today, in the early years I was left with somewhat of an identity crisis. These days, for the first time in my life, I have a solid handle on that dreaded “Where you from?” question.

One of the reasons I really struggled with the question earlier in my life stemmed from the fact that I didn’t really identify with any area or group of people. Today it’s the same, but I now understand the reason why. I am a follower of Christ, I belong to Him. I identify with Jesus. Spending time with Him is when I feel most at peace, when I feel at home.

Lately I can’t turn on the television or radio, much less pick up a newspaper, without being bombarded with the latest political argument of what it means to be an American. I hear arguments from both Christian and non-Christian friends, both trying to win me over to their point of view. I feel wonderfully disconnected, if not somewhat frustrated, from all the fuss. You see, I’m not from America. Sure, my birth certificate will tell you I was born on United States territory, but that is simply geography. I am extremely thankful to have been born in a country that has allowed me to express my opinion freely, and a country that has let me pursue a way of life of my own choosing. But make no mistake, I pledge my allegiance to the Creator God and to His Son who sacrificed His life for me. I do not pledge allegiance to a colorful rag, but rather to the blood stained robes of my Lord and Savior. I do not love any particular area of dirt, but will bow on any piece of land before my God.

If you ask me where I’m from, I will proudly and unashamedly tell you that I am part of the Kingdom of God. This is where I place my allegiance. How about you? Where are you from? With whom do you identify? The Bible makes it clear that we cannot serve two masters. We can’t serve “God and country”, because our country will most assuredly come into conflict with God. Whom then will you choose? Do you boast in your country of origin or in your true place of origin? God created you with specific talents and abilities, intended for use according to His purpose. All that we have and all that we are originated with God. We are from Him, not any plot of soil. Do you show God the same allegiance you do to your country? If not, it’s time to choose this day whom you will serve.

God’s Will

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What is your purpose in life?  What is your mission?  Have you ever thought about big questions like these or are you content to simply take each day as it comes?  The Biblical answer to these questions is beautifully simple to discover yet maddeningly complex to implement!

For as long as I can remember I have heard Christians lament about the fact that they don’t know God’s will for their life, they don’t know what they were put on earth to do.  For those folks, I have great news: you can indeed know with 100% certainty what God’s will is for your life.  God’s will for your life is the same as it is for my life and for your neighbor’s life.  God’s will is that we would love him with an all consuming, passionate and unconditional love.  Not only this, but His will is that we love everyone with whom we come into contact with this same all consuming, passionate and unconditional love.  Show His glory to others by demonstrating His love at all times.  Tell others about Him with our words and actions.  That’s it; it really is no more and no less than this.  This is what Scripture teaches us is the will of God.

Still, we all want to know what this looks like on a more practical, day to day level.  What are we to do with our lives as it concerns our work, dreams and goals?  Beyond loving people, what else are we to do?  Should we not seek to do extravagant and amazing things for God?  Should we not seek to prosper so we might have more resources with which to serve the poor and hungry?  We know we are to love, but that doesn’t tell us what we should do for our vocation or if we should get married or if we should become a missionary in a foreign land or any of a hundred other questions!  How do we know what to do in these circumstances?

I submit to you that love is the answer here as well.  Go loves us more than we could ever possibly hope to imagine.  He has given each of us passions, dreams and talents.  All we have to do is determine how best to use our gifts to demonstrate His love.  Maybe it means staying in that dead end job so you can continue to love your co-workers.  Or maybe it means you leave that dead end job to give you time to drink more fully of His love so you can share more of it with even more people.

Whatever decision you face, look at the issue in terms of how you might best demonstrate the love of Christ.  Imagine all the ways you can serve Him if you decided to do plan A or plan B.  Which decision gives you the greatest opportunity to fulfill His will for your life?  Remember His will is simply that you love Him with all that you are, and you love everyone else in the same way.  Are you participating in activities, relationships or a job that is choking the amount of love you are able to show to others?  Are the things you are currently doing preventing you from fully serving and loving God?  If your answer is yes, then you are out of the will of God, and it is time to put aside anything that would hold you back from total love and devotion to the one we call Lord.  Decide today to walk in His way only.  Walk in love.

Career Crisis for Christ?

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I’ve been pretty frustrated with my J.O.B. (it seems like such a dirty word that I feel the need for additional emphasis) for quite some time now. I have a great job that pays well, and hey, let’s face it, in this economy it’s wonderful to still be employed. But there is something vaguely immoral about giving the most productive ten hours of my day to a corporation that does absolutely nothing to further the message of Jesus Christ to our world. As Christians, we have one mission in life: to be the love of Christ to all those around us that they might come to know Him.

I have long heard the pat answers of “just serving God wherever you are” and “perhaps God put you in that J.O.B. for a specific purpose, to witness to those around you”. Well, okay, but isn’t that the exact purpose that God has given to the life of every Christian? No matter where we are we are to be demonstrating and reflecting the love of God to all those around us. It is a lifelong, continuous mission, one that is independent of where we live or where we work. It seems to me more likely that these pat answers come from our Western Christianity growing far too comfortable with the Western ideology for far too long. We now see a J.O.B. as our Christian responsibility, as a sign of how God is blessing us. This is an utterly foreign concept of what I read in the Bible. The followers of Christ worked as they needed to support themselves as they went about telling others about Christ and demonstrating His love. There was no concept of a comfortable career, a nice nest egg for retirement, no concentration on how nicely they could furnish their homes or if they were driving the latest eco-conscious chariot!

I do not mean to imply that Christians should shirk all responsibility and that all jobs are evil. I do intend to point out that most of us, self included, spend the vast majority of our time doing things that have little or no Kingdom value. Each of us was created with a unique combination of gifts and passions, but how many of us are fully utilizing those same gifts? How many of us are fully engaged in our passions? We have become a fat and lazy people, consumed with what society tells us we need to do and have. I for one am rethinking the whole deal; what impact might I have on the world for Christ if I was fully engaged in something I was passionate about, fully utilizing the gifts God has imparted to me and giving the most productive hours of each day to such an endeavor? How might my life be different? How might yours? More importantly, think of the Kingdom impact we would have on our neighborhoods and our world.

Father, I know the path you have placed before me. I thank you for the passions and gifts you have placed within me. May I set aside the things of this world and focus solely on Your kingdom and on loving those around me. Strengthen me for the road ahead. Thank You for Your love and for this life You have given me; may I use it all for Thee.