Even If i Walk Alone

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

James

What If It’s True?

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Some writings in the Bible can seem fantastical and difficult to believe. I’m the first to admit that having confidence in the authority of scripture does require an exercise of faith. I don’t doubt or question any part of God’s Word, but I acknowledge that for some it can be harder to believe than not to. God’s Word isn’t for everyone.

We know that far more people will choose an easier road to travel. (Matthew 7:13-14) Even though Jesus invites many to come to Him, few will accept His invitation. (Matthew 22:14) You can choose to dismiss all the Bible says and think it’s just a bunch of fairy tales and fables. But before you walk away, I’d ask that you consider one question: What if it’s true?

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Rescue Mission

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Jesus initiated the greatest rescue mission in the history of mankind when He came to earth to live as one of us and to die in our place. (Colossians 1:13; John 1:14; Romans 5:8) His resurrection from the grave began the next phase of the operation in which He chose each of us to be the rescue workers sent to help liberate a suffering world from catastrophe. (Matthew 28:19-20; 2 Corinthians 5:18-20)

It is our mission to rescue the perishing and care for the dying. (James 5:20; Jude 1:23) How diligent are we in pursuing that mission? Does it consume us with an urgency that we can’t hold back? Would we be happy if rescue workers had the same urgency in an earthbound crisis? We must understand our time on earth is not to be squandered on frivolous and selfish pursuits but to be spent telling as many people as possible about Jesus. (Ephesians 5:15-16; Colossians 4:5)

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Who Are We

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Who are we to demand anything of Jesus? When He was on trial, the authorities of both the Jewish and Roman empires demanded that Jesus answer their questions and accusations against him. But He kept silent. (Isaiah 53:7) He owed nothing to these men. He was their Creator, possessing knowledge so far greater than theirs that they could never imagine. (John 1:3; Colossians 2:3)

And yet they demanded answers from Him. The creatures were questioning their Creator. (Romans 9:20) Don’t we do the same? In our prayers, we demand Jesus answer them and answer in the way we want Him to. (James 4:3) Who are we to think we can demand anything of Christ? We proclaim Him to be our Lord and then act as if He is subservient to us. (Luke 6:46)

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Vertical Prayers

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While we should be praying vertical prayers, too often we are stuck praying in a horizontal manner. I’m not speaking of the posture we assume when we pray, but the direction of the content of our prayers. There’s a stark difference between the prayers of Jesus and the way we pray. So many of our prayers focus on the people and the world around us but give little attention to the One we are speaking to.

Part of the problem is that we lack the proper realization of what prayer is. It’s not a vehicle to get all the things we desire or even need. After all, God already knows what we need before we ask. (Matthew 6:7-8) We’re not bringing Him new information, but it often seems as if we think we are.

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4,000 Weeks

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I came across a book called “4,000 Weeks” and read a brief sample of the introduction. The premise of the book is that the average human has 4,000 weeks of life from birth to death. While I have not read the book, it was obvious the content would be about maximizing that time and understanding how short a time 4,000 weeks is in the grand scheme of things. It was also clear that the book was coming from an evolutionary starting point, which meant it was flawed from the outset, so it isn’t something I would recommend.

But the idea stuck with me. Given health and family history – and knowing only God knows and controls how long I will live – at 58 years old, I figure I have somewhere between 1,040 and 2,080 weeks left. That’s how much time I have remaining to serve the Lord in this body. (Psalm 139:16; James 4:14–15)

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