Even If i Walk Alone

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

humility

Spectators and Participants

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Opinion column in a newspaper

Within Christianity there are two camps; those who are spectators and those who are participants. The true followers of Jesus are those who participate in His mission on earth. Spectator Christians are those who have prayed the “sinner’s prayer” and are content to go to church on Sunday and perhaps volunteer every now and then for one of the various ministries of their congregation. To which group do you belong? I believe those whom Christ will welcome into His kingdom are those who have chosen to do the things He commanded us to do: to feed the hungry and care for the orphans, the widows, and the sick. Following the commands of Jesus means that we will have to get our hands dirty and, yes, participate in the work itself.

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Role Reversal

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When the faces of hungry children live half a planet away, it is easy to forget them. When our schedules are tight and we are running late, it is a simple matter to look the other way when we see a homeless person with an outstretched hand. Rationalizations for not lending a hand to help are easy to come by when our lives are already stressed out and booked solid.

Homeless Person Sleeping on a Bench

In theory, we know we should be helping those who are in need, the people who are less fortunate than ourselves. In practice, most of us struggle to carry on the mission of Christ. We are too wrapped up in our own problems and absorbed in our own lives. But let me ask a simple question: what if the person in need was you? [Read more…] about Role Reversal

Why Do We Follow Jesus?

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Looking around the world today, it seems that each new sunrise brings word of a new political uprising. Almost without fail, these demonstrations turn violent and people are killed and wounded. Oppressive regimes grow in power and the persecution of Christians grows more frequent and violent with each day. European nations have all but abandoned the way of Jesus, and exchanged it for a life of relativism, cynicism and ultimately hopelessness. In America, a nation once considered the shining light of the world, we see a downward spiral of respect for authority and for God. The whole world has seemingly gone crazy, and perhaps we should expect nothing less from a planet that has abandoned its Creator to seek selfish pleasure and gain.

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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.

Peace Be Still

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To me, there are few things that compare to sitting alone in a quiet house before anyone else is awake in the morning. The silence is calming and allows me to forget about the stress and worry of the world outside, if only for a little while. The frailty of the moment permits an intimacy with God in which I am truly aware of His presence. While I know He is always there, it is in these times that I can fully focus and experience Him. My heart quiets and the constant whirring in my brain begins to slow into a rhythmic dance with my Creator. I am awake and I am aware; it is an awesome place and a great way to start each day.

For those who do not know Christ, such a silence can be deafening. Instead of peace flooding their soul, they are instead bombarded by thoughts of loneliness, depression and despair. They feel neither the presence of God nor anyone else. Their souls are under constant attack from Satan as he feeds their fears and heightens their anguish. He gets inside their head and twists and weaves his way through their mind, depositing lies and leaving a trail of despondency in his wake. Each day the cycle continues until there is no longer any hope or reason for them to go on with their life.

What a contrast in the way two people can experience silence. To one, there is peace and solace; to the other, torment and distress. The difference between these two extremes is simply Jesus. Only He can bring quiet to the noise of life; only He can bring peace in the midst of strife, and only He can bring stillness amidst the chaos. Is it any wonder why the Bible states that having Jesus is more valuable than silver or gold? What He brings to a life is priceless and beyond comparison. His peace is available to all who will call Him Lord and give Him full control of their lives out of love for Him. It’s as simple as asking Him to dwell in your life so that you can know Him better.

With everything to gain, why do so few seek to attain His presence in their lives? I believe one reason is that we who know Christ are not reflecting His love and peace in our own lives. We get so caught up in the concerns of life that we cast a shadow over the light that shines within us. There are fewer sadder sights than a stressed out Christian. We claim to worship a God of peace and love, yet when others look at our lives they only see the same struggles that they face. If we don’t shine brightly with the joy of Christ, they will not see the attraction in following Him. Living a life that is dedicated to Jesus is very difficult, but the great paradox is that within that difficulty we find great peace and rest. If we don’t model that peace to those around us, they will see only the difficulty and take a pass on following Christ.

We’ve got to rein in our busyness and obsession with competing in a world that has rejected God as the supreme authority. We can’t live a life that claims devotion to Him and yet acts in a manner consistent with those who despise Him. When we are focused wholly on Him in everything we do, we will find great peace and stillness in our hearts. We will experience a love that cannot be explained and will find our minds exquisitely bathed in His light. Jesus calms every worry and satisfies every desire. If you would have peace, you will not find it outside of a life lived for Him. Having found such love, it is our duty and privilege to pass it along to others.

Dwell in the stillness of His love and reflect His glory to a desperate world. We are called to be the carriers of His light into the darkness. May the love of God shine humbly and brightly through you into the hearts of the least, the lost and the dying. Work tirelessly for His glory and when you falter, retreat into His arms. There you will find comfort and there you will find rest. In Him there is peace; we need only be still.