Even If i Walk Alone

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

gratitude

Turning Gratitude into Action

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I’ve spent most of my life living in America and can say without a doubt that I have been blessed beyond measure to have done so.  I’ve never known true hunger and have always had a roof over my head to sleep.  I’ve lived in relative safety and never run out of clothes.  Sitting down to a meal, no matter how small, is a luxury so many have never known.  What I take for granted, others cannot even fathom.  I am not anti-American or anti-capitalism; I have enjoyed the fruits of both.  As a follower of Christ, however, I am anti-greed and anti-hoarding.  With all the blessings we have received, how can we but help to pass them along?

We who seek to follow Jesus desire to reach out to others in love.  We long for them to know of His saving mercy and grace, and the best witness we can give them is through the demonstration of God’s love in our own lives.  It’s one thing to tell someone the truth, but an entirely different matter to live out that truth.  When we demonstrate the love of Christ in the way we live, others will be curious and drawn to us.  Nothing compels like love; nothing repels like indifference.  No matter how unlovable an individual may appear, all people have needs and as ambassadors of Christ it is our responsibility to serve them.

Take nothing for granted in your life.  Practice being grateful for all the blessings you have received and then use those moments of gratitude to spur you to action.  Take an extra thirty seconds to pray over your food before you eat; I assure you it will still be there when you are finished praying.  Concentrate on how privileged you are to be able to have a hot, nutritious meal practically anytime you want one;  recognize that more than half of the world does not share this privilege.  Pray for those who do not share in your blessing of food.  In the emotion of that moment, determine some way you can help alleviate hunger in the world.  World Vision has a wonderful collection of ways in which you can provide food for those in need.  You could sponsor a child through Compassion International, or perhaps donate to your local food bank.  Consider sharing several meals each month with a stranger; if not inviting someone to physically be there, take the money you would have spent on the extra food and donate it to an organization that can minister to those beyond your reach.  In this way you can share your blessings with those in need.

You can apply the principles above to any area that you currently take for granted.  When you pour a glass of water for yourself, remember those who have no access to clean water and are dying from the parasites they have ingested drinking from their filthy water supply.  Get involved with ministries like Living Water International or donate to the “100 Wells Campaign” of Persecution Project.  Take a couple of cases of bottled water downtown in your city and hand them out to those who are homeless.  Consider ways you can act in kind whenever you get dressed, get in the car, go to the grocery store, or take a hot shower – anything and everything you now take for granted.  As we begin to pray for and relate to those who are less fortunate than ourselves, we will begin to understand and relate to their situation.  We will find our hearts broken by their circumstances.  We will find our hearts breaking over the injustices in the world, and seek out effective and creative ways to help.  Our lives will begin to look like Jesus.

I challenge you to try out the above suggestions.  Over the next thirty days, choose just one or two areas you currently take for granted, and focus on being grateful for it.  Pray for those who are not blessed in the way you are, and then take a tangible step to do something about the inequity.  If God has blessed you to live in a country that allows you to live in freedom and luxury compared to the majority of the world, then you – like me – have a great responsibility to share our wealth with others.  We are commanded to love others as Jesus loves them; what better way to fulfill that command than by living out that love in a way that shares our blessings with them?  Be grateful in all things, and then turn your gratitude into action by serving others with tangible acts of love. Love God and love people; never take for granted that with which you have been blessed.

The Root of Sin

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Recently Daron Earlewine, one of the pastors at the fellowship I attend (East 91st Street Christian Church), made the statement that the root of all sin is discontent and ingratitude. The more I considered that thought, the more I became convinced that he is right. How sad this is in our privileged and comfortable lifestyle in the Western world. You would think that we, more than any other people, would be ridiculously grateful for the country in which we were born and for the privileges afforded to us. Beyond that, as Christians it is hard to imagine not being eternally thankful for the sacrifice of God’s Son and for the opportunity to serve Him with every breath of our lives. Since we all still engage in sinful behavior, we are faced with the reality that despite all our blessings, we continue to live a life of discontent and ingratitude.

Why are we discontent? What is it that we wish we had that we perceive to be lacking? Most who read this blog are from countries that have at least a modicum of freedom; they aren’t destitute and in all probability are extremely well off compared to the majority of people on the planet. Yet we are discontent and want more; more money, more recognition and more stuff. We live as if everything revolved around us rather than around the one we call Lord of our life. Jesus is more than enough for any of us. He provides love beyond measure, rest when we are weary, and peace for our troubled hearts. If we place our trust in Him, faithfully serve Him and do what He commands us to do, He will reward us with eternal life spent with Him. What part of that equation is unappealing? What more could we want? Still, we trade eternal perfection for temporal imperfection every day, simply because we are too selfish and immature to defer our own selfish gratification. Herein lies our sin; we refuse to honor God by giving our lives to His service and living as Jesus did. We sin because we are infantile and refuse to grow, content to wallow in our selfish pursuit of fleeting pleasure.

Our discontent is easily, though inexplicably, identified; but what about our sense of ingratitude? Why do we who have so much for which to be thankful, languish in a life of bitterness and delusion? We are blessed beyond measure yet live as if we deserve everything we have, and in fact, deserve more. We take for granted those things that have been entrusted to us and find no joy in our journey. Instead of being thankful for the good things that come into our lives, we remain cynical and watch for the other shoe to drop. Rather than accepting a gracious compliment, we seek to uncover an ulterior motive. Cynicism steals our satisfaction and drains all comfort from our life. We become jaded to the beauty that surrounds us and fail to see the wonder of creation. Bitterness invades our relationships and soon we lose what we once loved most. A person who refuses to be thankful for what they have ends up broken and alone; this is not the life God intends for us to live.

As Christ-followers our goal is to eliminate the sin from our lives. It is a daunting task that we cannot even approach without the power of God. Knowing the root of sin should help us break it down a bit and determine strategies for dealing with our rebellion. Don’t be discontent with all the blessings in your life. Recognize all you have been given for your pleasure and to use for the glory of God. Don’t wish for more of what this world can offer; desire more of what Jesus can give. Be thankful for everything He has done for you, the beauty of His creation and the enormity of His love. If you practice thankfulness in your life you will find it nearly impossible to be discontent. Simply put, gratitude trumps discontent, and contentment eliminates ingratitude. At its root, our sin problem is an attitude issue. Practice being thankful and you will find your walk with Christ both satisfying and fulfilling. Jesus gives us everything we need to passionately pursue Him and further His mission. Always be mindful of what He has done for you and all He has entrusted to you. Watch out for the root of all sin; guard your attitude against discontentment and ingratitude.

Gratitude

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Following Jesus is hard. The way of Christ demands courage, perseverance, patience and integrity. It is both exhausting and exhilarating. We are not guaranteed peace, material wealth, food or shelter. We can wind up in difficult circumstances and still the call remains the same. We are to follow Him unwaveringly while continuing to love and serve others regardless of our own situation. The burden of life can become overbearing if we try and shoulder it ourselves. We are promised to never receive more than we can carry, but think how much more we could manage if we put the burden on Jesus himself! How does one maintain a positive and loving mental attitude though the trials of life? The answer can be summed up simply in one word: gratitude.

It’s virtually impossible to be negative in the midst of being grateful. To say each day is a gift may sound a bit cliché, but it remains true. Some days everything just seems to go right, everything comes up roses and you fall asleep just grateful to be alive. Others days, well, not so much. Perhaps though, the purpose of that day is to be a gift for someone else. Perhaps in your despair you have the opportunity to touch the life of another. Then, just maybe, because of your act of love they too will be thankful just to be alive. So each day is a gift; it’s either a gift you give or one you receive.

Before bed each night, or upon waking, run through your gratitude list. To help you get started, here are a few suggestions I’ve picked up over the years:

Possessions – Grab a notebook and pen and start walking around the place you live making a list of all your possessions. Make sure you have plenty of paper, as this is always a long and humbling experience. What I find generally happens is that I quit after filling a couple of pages. You become overwhelmed and perhaps even a little ashamed by the sheer quantity of all we possess. We may at times feel like we don’t have enough or at least not as much as our friends and neighbors, but the truth is if you are reading this blog, there is a very good chance that you are incredibly blessed. Look again at the “Global Rich List” web site to determine your level of wealth in the world. Don’t compare yourself to those who you perceive to be wealthy by the world’s standards; compare yourself with those who are wealthy by God’s standards. If you are still not convinced, try volunteering at a homeless shelter or local soup kitchen. We are immeasurably blessed and should wake grateful of this fact each day.

Health – All over the world, hundreds of men, women and children die every second from preventable diseases. Malnutrition and dirty water wreak havoc on the bodies of millions resulting in the inability to work and permanent damage to the basic functions of their minds and their bodies. The ravages of war strip away the dreams of youth as injuries change the lives of the afflicted soldiers forever. Meanwhile our biggest health concern is the choice between the smaller or larger piece of cake. If you are breathing clean air, drinking clean water, and have food in your cupboards, your health exceeds that of nearly half of the world’s population. We all have our aches and our pains, but these are petty annoyances when compared to the plight of poverty stricken nations. Check out the work being done by ministries such as World Vision and Persecution Project. Learn about the needs of the least, the lost and the last. Flex your muscles, breathe deeply and enjoy a glass of water in gratefulness for your blessings of health.

Relationships – Nearly all of us have someone in our lives for whom we can be grateful. Whether it’s a friend, spouse, child or family member, most of us have the privilege of caring for or being cared for by another person. Even for those who truly are alone in this world, if you have a relationship with Jesus, you are truly never alone (if you do not have a relationship with Jesus, or are confused about what that means, please see “What does it mean to be a Christian?” or email me to discuss it). Millions of people around the world have absolutely no one with whom they share a relationship. Young children orphaned by the scourge of AIDS find themselves with no parents, no family, and no hope. They need someone to come along side of them; they desperately need Jesus in their lives. When you feel lonely, when you have been badly burned in a relationship, when you’re at your worst, would you trade places with these children? Of course not, because you still enjoy and experience the love of other relationships. Humbly thank God for the blessings of others and more importantly of Himself, in your life.

We have much for which to be grateful. It is easy to get caught up in our selfishness and self pity. Make a regular habit of noticing all the blessings in your life. Adopt an attitude of gratitude and you will find it virtually impossible to be depressed. After recognizing all of your blessings, consider passing them along. Help those in need and bring hope to those in despair. Thank God for His love, mercy and blessings. Be humble and live in a manner that reflects your gratitude.