Even If i Walk Alone

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

humility

Asking for Help

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The New Testament focuses greatly on unity among the believers. Too many of us tend to believe we can do it on our own, and strike out on our path with no companions. This is not the way Christ intended us to live. Following Jesus is extremely relational. We need other followers to travel with us in order to gain from their perspectives and for the times we require assistance. It appears to me that we believe there is some form of merit to be gained if we travel alone and battle through the tough times without aid from someone else. Jesus kept twelve friends close by Him; when He sent His disciples out into the world, He sent them in pairs. Paul took along a companion or two on his missionary trips. We need each other to best carry out the mission of Jesus Christ.

Why are we so afraid to ask for help? We allow our pride to become our downfall. In Proverbs 16:18, the Bible tells us that “Pride comes before destruction”. When we do not ask for help, we are plotting our own demise. Plans fail, fortunes are squandered and relationships are ruined simply because we refuse to ask for help. Jesus said that whatever we ask for in His name, He’ll give it to us (John 14:13). Jesus specifically tells us to ask, and yet still we do not. Asking for help is not a sign of weakness; it is a sign of obedience. Asking for help is not an admission of incompetence, but rather a declaration of humility. By refusing to ask for help we miss out on the beauty of the divine dance, we deprive someone else of an opportunity to gain the blessing of helping a brother or sister in the name of Jesus.

By allowing someone to come to your assistance in a time of need, you not only are showing your own humility, but you are also demonstrating love to the one you ask for help. When you allow them to serve you, you are permitting them to live out their own calling and to exercise their unique gifts. Each of us must work together for the good of the Kingdom. We must come alongside one another, and allow someone to come alongside of us as well. We need to learn to see asking for help as a beautiful part of our mission. When we ask for help, we allow the Body of Christ to act in unity with one another, and this is truly a magnificent site to behold. Jesus prayed that His followers would be one, just as He and God are one (John 17:22). Can you imagine loving each other in such a way? It will require us to be totally upfront with one another and to put aside all pretenses. It will occasionally involve us getting hurt, and it will certainly be messy at times. However, walking in unity is what Christ commanded us to do, and so we have no option. We must put aside our pride and tear off the masks that hide who we really are. We desperately need one another.

Are you hesitant to ask for help? Are you living in unity with other followers of Jesus? Don’t miss out on the blessings of sharing your life with someone else. True followers of Jesus do what Jesus did, and Jesus kept twelve close friends around Him all the time. He mingled among the crowds and touched those in need. Once again, we have a beautiful example of what our lives should look like. How are you doing? Do you still harbor too much pride? I know I struggle with this frequently. Let’s trade our pride for humility and submit our lives fully to Christ. Let’s come clean and admit we desperately need help, that we simply can’t do anything on our own. Jesus stands ready to act on your behalf; our brothers and sisters long for the opportunity to serve Christ by serving you. Release your fears, lower your defenses, and throw away your pride. Don’t be afraid to ask for help.

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).

Start a New Dream

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All of us have faced great discouragement in our lives. Some may currently be in the depths of despair, losing hope, and seeing few options available to change their situation. Humility was an attribute modeled by Jesus, and it is in the toughest of times that we have the opportunity to grow and express our own humility. As difficult as our circumstances might appear, suffering builds character; if we let them, our trials can be a springboard to great new opportunities and a whole new season in life.

Nothing is forever except the love of God. We allow Satan to so thoroughly defeat us that we begin to believe the lie that where we are is all there is; we buy into the deception that happiness and fulfillment is for other people not for us. I can almost hear the cackle of demonic forces when I look at people who are so down that they no longer have any concept of up. Each one of us was created in the very image of God. This means we were created to be beautiful, loving, successful, confident and extraordinarily capable people. The entrance of sin into our world has damaged our outlook, but it has far from destroyed our destiny.

All of us, regardless of circumstance, handicap or station has the unique ability to start a new dream right here and right now. One of the great facts of life is that as long as we have a breath remaining, we get the privilege of a “do-over”. Regardless of what has happened, what you’ve done or where you’ve been, you can begin again today. By sending Jesus to die on the cross for our mistakes, for our sins, it became an established fact that God is the God of second chances. By the blood of Jesus and by His mercy and grace, we have the option to have our entire past washed away and swept clean; what were once regrets can now become opportunities for growth. Instead of dwelling on past failures, make right what you can and forgive yourself for those things which you can not correct; then move on. You cannot live a life following Jesus while at the same time being a defeated individual. The power of Christ simply won’t allow it. The closer you draw to Him, the more you will be bathed in His power and made whole.

Allowing God to pull you out of your pit of hopelessness is never easy. Entrenched habits and opinions will claw mercilessly at you, attempting to hold you down. It will take an extraordinary amount of work on your part. Change is hard, but the alternative is worse. Change requires discipline, and we humans tend to rail against anything that restricts our selfish desire to do what we want to do. When you begin to develop the mental muscle required for discipline, constantly ask yourself, “Am I the person I want to be? Am I happy with the life I have? Am I the beautiful, creative, confident person I was created to be?” If the answer to any of those questions is ‘no’, then it is time to change. Determine one thing you can do today to move yourself toward being who God created you to be; take one action that will put you one step closer to Jesus. When tempted to stray from your new course, simply ask yourself, “Which decision brings me closer to the person I was created to be; which choice brings me closer to Jesus?” After mastering one discipline, choose one more thing that will improve your life. Much like a snowball rolling downhill, discipline gains momentum and strength the longer it is allowed to develop. Start small, but do start.

John Lawry once wrote a lyric that has stuck with me for the last 20 years and has had a profound impact on my life: “We are what we are, because of what we allow; are we becoming what we want to be?” The choice is ours. The blood of Jesus, His sacrifice for us, provides the opportunity to begin again and to start fresh. That opportunity is available to each one of us and at any time. It will not be easy and it will require plenty of sweat equity on our behalf. Are you willing to work for it? Are you willing to change? Will you be content with who you are or will you choose to become the one God created you to be? If you are discouraged, defeated, or broken in any way, determine that today is the last day you will feel like this. Take a step towards Jesus; reach for His hand. He waits patiently to lead you to a life beyond compare, a life spent following Him. Close your eyes and take a deep breath; now open your eyes and begin to live again.

Throw the First Stone

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Why do we as Christians have such an unhealthy reputation to the world outside of our church walls? It has long bothered me that Christians claim to love others and seek to fill the needs of their community, yet we are distrusted, dismissed and even despised. Something has gone terribly wrong; there is a disconnect somewhere of colossal proportions. How did it come to this, and what can we do to correct the situation?

In John 8 (verses 3-11) we find the familiar story of Jesus saving the life of a woman caught in adultery. The religious people of the day had seized the woman, and dragged her into the place where Jesus was teaching. Beyond this obvious humiliation, these same religious folks were preparing to put the woman to death by stoning her. As they stood there, perhaps with rocks in hand, Jesus calmly knelt beside the woman. He then said some of the most powerful words in all of Scripture: “Let the one with no sin throw the first stone.” When faced with their sinfulness, the people dropped their stones and went away.

Before Jesus changed the dynamics of the scene, the crowd of people was refusing to admit their own sinfulness. Instead of showing grace and forgiveness to the woman, they stood in judgment over her. We tend to do this often because it makes us feel better about our own failures. It’s far easier to condemn someone else than to confront your own weaknesses. I think the modern church still suffers from this affliction. We are so intent on judging others that we overlook our own sins. We refuse to admit that we too have issues and that we too deserve death. We don’t want to appear as anything less than “perfect Christians”; in the process we demonstrate our hypocrisy. This is what the world finds so unappealing about us. We need to show ourselves as broken people, a work in process. Instead of judging the sins of others, we should be pointing out our own failures. When the church at large begins getting real and walking in genuineness, I believe the world will respond. As long as we refuse to admit our own shortcomings and are content to target and judge the sins of others, we will continue to drive a wedge between us and those who so desperately need to hear the message of Jesus.

The life of Jesus was all about serving others. There’s little glory in service and it generally requires us to humble ourselves to do things that we consider to be beneath us. It’s far more appealing to stand in judgment over someone rather than to serve under someone in support of their life. Yet this was the mission of Christ. He did not come to condemn the world, but rather to redeem it (John 3:17). If we would follow Him, this must be our mission as well.

To change how we are seen by the world, we must change how we interact with our world. We must return to doing the work of the mission of Jesus Christ. It’s time to drop our shields, remove our masks, and admit that we need the grace of Jesus every bit as much as everyone else. We must genuinely love and empathize with others. Judgment must be left to God; this is not our calling. Instead of condemning the sins of others, let’s learn how we might serve them in such a way that they can rise above their destructive behaviors. In turn, we just might learn how to rise above our own failings. When each of us begins to love with openness and honesty, when we stop condemning and start serving others, then the world will take notice and their attitude toward the message of Jesus will turn from repulsion to curiosity. People don’t need contempt and judgment; they need healing and forgiveness. This is the mission of Jesus. This is the message of all who would follow Him.

Recovering From Discouragement

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Discouragement can catch up with the best of us. No matter how positive our outlook or how determined our resolve, we all go through periods of discouragement. At times we don’t even know for certain what caused the feelings, while there will be other periods of life where Murphy’s Law comes into play and virtually everything that could go wrong does indeed go wrong. As long as we live in a fallen and broken world, discouragement is inevitable.

The key, of course, is how we recover. As followers of Jesus, discouragement has no long term place in our lives. If you find yourself sinking ever deeper into discouragement, (or its close cousin, depression), then it is your duty to find a way out as quickly as possible. We are called to victory in Christ, not despair. No matter what occurs in your life, what remains is the fact that Jesus loves you more than His own life and that His power is available for the asking. If we have devoted our lives to Him, we have already overcome anything this world can throw at us. This doesn’t mean life will be easy, happy, or free from discouragement, but it certainly should allow us to look at life with a different perspective.

On this blog, we generally focus on what our duties are as we strive to be true followers of Jesus. What we don’t spend a lot of time on are the rewards of being a follower. The reason for this is that even without the rewards and privileges associated with following Christ, we would follow Jesus anyway simply because of our love for Him. There are rewards however; we are now heirs to the Kingdom of God. Jesus freely gives all that He has to us; His love, His grace and His power. It’s easy to read words such as these and simply move on. Take a moment and really consider all that you have in Christ. It’s mind-blowing and almost beyond belief.

If focusing on the power of God is not enough to lift you from your discouragement, try taking inventory of all the blessings in your life. Nearly half the world lives on less than $2 dollars a day. What would you do if your income was $60 per month? How would your life change? Picture yourself having to live on that amount, then make a list of all the possessions, conveniences and luxuries you now have that would go away if you had to live on $2 per day. For extra credit, enter your income at the ‘Global Rich List’ web site to see where you rank. It’s a humbling realization. Pray over your inventory of blessings, thanking God for each and every one. It’s hard to be depressed or discouraged when you realize how amazingly blessed you are.

Finally, you must do something to improve your situation and your mindset. You must take action; you can either choose to remain motionless and allow life to continue to happen to you, or you can choose to move and throw yourself into life and force it to react to you. Refusing to move virtually guarantees you will stay in your discouragement. God gives you the strength and power to pull out of your state of mind, but you must actively utilize that strength. We were designed to live in an interactive communion with God. It takes two to dance this cosmic tango and we must do our part. Realize that we were created for purpose and we were designed for motion; so get moving! We are far too blessed to feel depressed and far too gifted to be discouraged. Change something in your life, do something different tomorrow from what you’ve done before. Sometimes simply participating in a worthy endeavor, especially one we’ve not attempted before is enough to shake us from our rotten mindset. Be kind to a stranger, buy lunch for a friend, or help a neighbor. Remember your blessings and the person you are in Christ. Don’t revel in your discouragement; instead, recover from it!