Even If i Walk Alone

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

James

How’s Your Reflection?

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We were created to glorify God through the use of the unique blend of talents and ambitions He has placed within each of us. We glorify Him by reflecting His love and His character to the lives of others through the way we live. Regardless of where we find ourselves, we are always reflecting something to the world around us. So at least as often as we check our reflection in a mirror, we need to check what we are reflecting to those with whom we come into contact. When we are faithfully reflecting Christ, our lives will be marked by the same things that characterized His life: love and service to others.

There are to be no exceptions to our love. Jesus loves every person with the same infinite and all-encompassing love with which He loves you. We all have people in our lives that we’d truthfully rather not be around, or people who only seek to do us harm. These are the hardest to love, of course, but if we want to glorify God with our lives, then we must reach out and love all people the same. It’s not easy to think of loving someone who has hurt you repeatedly or someone who may even want to kill you, but this is the love that was demonstrated by Jesus. Shortly before His arrest, which would lead to His crucifixion, we find Jesus eating a meal with the very one He knew would betray Him. Peter disowned Jesus when Christ most needed His support, yet only a few days later Jesus was cooking Him breakfast and appointing him to be the leader of His Church. Jesus holds no grudges and forgives all wrongs done against Him. He loves with a perfect love that has little regard for Himself, yet holds those He loves in the highest esteem.

Just as there are no exceptions to love, no one is to be considered unworthy of our service. We must guard against ever putting ourselves above another. In the most extreme example of humility, Jesus stepped away from His glory and into the messiness and lowliness of sinful human life. The price was not too great for Him, and He unabashedly pursued the opportunity to serve those He loved. Mere hours before Judas would betray Him, we find Jesus washing the feet of His betrayer. Even in His darkest hour, the focus and mission of Jesus was to humbly serve others in any way that He could. He spent His last hours of freedom on earth breaking bread and sharing a meal with those He loved, serving them one last time before His death. The life of Christ was marked by love and service from the beginning to the very end.

How do our lives compare? Do we forgive others for the wrongs they inflict upon us? Do we go out of our way to serve those who mean us harm? In doing these things, we reflect the love of Jesus and glorify our Lord. Love and service are not catchphrases of Christianity, but rather the very essence of what it means to be a follower of Jesus. If we will not love and serve others, then we cannot be followers Christ. If you pray a prayer to accept Jesus but then do not demonstrate His love and attitude of service to others, I believe you are in a precarious position, one that may find you gravely disappointed when your life is done. Remember, even the demons believe in Jesus and they shudder in fear (James 2:19). Don’t be a believer who cowers, one who never experiences the fullness of life that is found only by following Jesus. Be more than a believer; be a follower.

Determine today that you will no longer allow divine moments to slip from your grasp. Act with compassion and love toward everyone you encounter today. Remember that each and every person is of infinite worth to Jesus, and we must treat them with the same honor and respect that He ascribes to them. Don’t walk by an opportunity to serve someone. If you see someone in trouble, be the Samaritan rather than the religious person; cross over to them and care for their need. You have no better place to be at any time than in the midst of God’s will in that moment. Our lives should be marked by love and service to our Savior and King. Our lives should glorify and reflect Him with every step. Take a moment to examine what others see in you. How’s your reflection?

Living in Faith, or Living in Fear?

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Fear is the enemy of hope and the opposite of faith. When confronted with decision points in our life, we will generally side with one or the other. We will either choose to cautiously back away in fear or boldly charge forward in faith. Fear can be a good thing; it can keep us from touching a hot stove or falling off a cliff. Faith can be misplaced at times, as in expecting to sprout wings on your way down the side of the aforementioned cliff! But for the purposes of our discussion, I am talking about the fear that paralyzes you from moving forward or taking a chance you know you should take. The faith I want to discuss is the God-given strength to face down your uncertainty and doubt and move forward down the path He is leading you.

On the track “Fear” (from his album, ‘Explore Dream Discover’), Daron Earlewine calls fear the most insidious four letter word. It’s the most damaging curse word of all. Fear will keep you from living the life for which you were created. It will cause you to hide your talents from the world so that no one will see; it will keep you up at night just thinking of facing the new day without the courage to change. Fear will rob you of opportunities to serve and love others, and it will make you pass up opportunities to tell someone about Jesus. Certainly this is not the life of power and freedom we see exhibited in Jesus Christ. We were not meant to live as timid beings on this earth. Yet fear can be so paralyzing that we cannot imagine ever rising up from beneath it. We know we shouldn’t feel this way and determine to overcome it, only to find ourselves frozen again.

Fortunately, faith is the cure for the common fear. As the agents of God’s mission we have been called and empowered to boldly go into all the earth serving others, reflecting God’s love and telling them the good news of Jesus Christ. This power is available free of charge to all who follow Christ; it’s part of the package, a bonus if you will. Not only do we have the privilege of serving the King of the universe, not only do we get to spend eternity basking in His presence, but we receive the power to overcome fear as well! Faith is an action verb, not a passive one. As we read in James 2:20, faith without action is useless. If you are like me, you’ve spent far too long convinced that faith was passive, just something you believed. Faith is so much more than a simple belief; that is just the seed.

As our faith grows we will find it becomes progressively more active; the more active our faith, the less confining our fear. Similar to the effects of compound interest on money, little steps of faith each day snowball into a dynamic and rich faith that laughs in the face of fear. One who has fully devoted their life to Christ – and has a life that actually reflects that commitment – knows no fear. When you come to the realization that the worst thing that could happen to you in this world results in giving you everything you’ve ever wanted in the presence of Jesus, fear becomes irrelevant.

Are you living a life of fear or faith? Fear stops you from walking in the way of Jesus; faith propels you toward Him. Fear limits your effectiveness in the Kingdom of God; faith magnifies and multiplies your gifts as you employ them in the service of others. Fear is of the devil and should find no place in the heart of a disciple; faith is a gift from God and should permeate every inch of our being. We were created to do good works for Christ (Ephesians 2:10), and to accomplish that purpose we must boldly move forward regardless of the risk. Jesus did not flinch when the road before Him became difficult and dangerous. Instead, He trampled fear beneath His feet and pressed on because of His faith in the Father. We are called to do the same. Release your fear and take bold steps of faith; plant your feet firmly in the footsteps of Jesus. Place your faith in the one who knows no fear.

Are You Doing Enough?

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Am I doing enough? It’s a question I ask myself over and over again – and often! I talk about being completely sold out to Jesus, but do I myself measure up? When I close my eyes each night, can I honestly say that I have lived my life that day in the best way I possibly could to reflect the glory of God to the world around me? If I cannot answer yes, then I am haunted by the realization that my actions – or lack thereof – may have prevented someone from seeing their need for Jesus Christ. Everywhere I go, I am an ambassador for Christ and I am responsible for each soul I encounter. I don’t have the option to look the other way or pretend not to notice. I am a follower of Jesus so I am obligated to serve those in need. The fact of the matter is that we all squander opportunities and waste precious time that we should be using to touch the life of someone else. We cannot live lives of perfection, but we should never stop striving to do so.

Every day of our lives must be spent in service to God. That is what it means to be a follower of Jesus. We are to be devoted to His causes and His mission; nothing else matters. Our dreams and ambitions must be pursued only insofar as they can be used to bring others to Christ. He has given us skills and talents in a combination that is unique to each person. These gifts are to be used for the sole purpose of reflecting His love and directing people to Jesus. We are not to pursue piling up money unless it is for the sole purpose of giving it to others in need. We are not to engage in a life of travel unless it for the sole purpose of spreading the love of Jesus around the world. It is your life and your passion, but they are to be used for His purpose. When you give your life to Jesus, you give up your claim to everything. From that point forward, everything you do, every word you say, is pledged to be for His glory. It goes without saying that we will stumble and miss the mark at times; it also goes without saying that we must quickly get up and set about our pursuit anew. His mission must be our passion. If it is not, we need to do some very serious soul searching to determine if we are truly His follower or not.

Being a Christian, a true disciple, is not a matter of saying a certain prayer and then just coasting for the rest of our days on earth. Where you spend eternity depends on whether you truly love and reflect Jesus to the world. By truly loving and being devoted to Christ, we are covered by His grace. It is our faith in His grace that will cause us to follow wherever He leads and to do the things He told us to do. Scripture tells us that faith without works is dead, and works without faith is futile (James 2:14-26; Hebrews 11:6). Without both faith and works, we will not see the gates of Heaven. Again, this isn’t about a one-time prayer, it is about a life-long commitment. If we have been blessed with money and don’t care for the poor, I believe Scripture is clear that we will not see Heaven (Ezekiel 16:49; Matthew 25:31-46). We don’t have brilliant careers because we are blessed by God; we have brilliant careers so we can bless others. We must never forget our purpose in life. Our purpose is God’s mission.

How about you? Do you, like me, get a sick feeling in the pit of your stomach when reflecting on the way you have lived out your devotion to Christ? Do you feel like I do, that you could be doing more, that you aren’t living a life that fully reflects His glory? We have work to do and time is running out; there is not a moment to lose. Reflect and reevaluate the way you are living your life. Are you doing all you can?

Being On Mission for Christ

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It has often been stated both here and elsewhere that one of the primary challenges facing Christianity today is that we are known less for what we are for than for what we are against. Certainly there are things from which we who follow Christ must refrain. We should not engage in activities that do not mirror the love, beauty and glory of God. We were created and called to reflect Him, so any time we spend doing things that are antithetical to God, we are living outside of His will for our lives. Being a positive sort of guy, I’d like to concentrate more on the things for which we should be known. Frequent readers will recognize that we have covered much of this before, but each of us needs to constantly remind ourselves of why we are here. If we could keep our mission in the forefront of our mind, we would not waste so many hours asking questions like, “Why am I here?”, and “What should I do with my life?”

The reason we are on this earth is to glorify God by doing the things He told us to do (these are the things for which Christians should be known) in a way that reflects His love by serving others. We must all be seeking ways each day to help out someone in need, whether that means offering a helping hand, a kind word or some hard-earned cash. All of us have something to offer in service to another, and it is our duty to give what we have. There are no exemptions in life for those who are committed to following Jesus.

There are attributes we must model as individuals to reflect the glory of God. We are told to be humble, gentle and patient (Ephesians 4:2). Our lives should be marked by truthfulness and dignity (Ephesians 4:25, 28). Any words that come from our lips should be uplifting and positive, spoken to help strengthen and encourage others (Ephesians 4:29, 31-32). Christ modeled each of these traits even under intense persecution; we certainly should do no less within our comfortable lives.

Then there are the things we must do among our fellow believers. We should always be focused on keeping unity within the Church (Ephesians 4:3). Our lives should be marked by peace and not strife, because we all serve the same God (Ephesians 4:3-6). We have enough trials being thrust upon us by those who do not share our beliefs; we don’t need to add insult to injury by piling on from within our own body. Petty arguments have no place among followers of Jesus. We must remain focused on the mission and not allow ourselves to get caught up in things that have no eternal value.

Finally we are instructed to move outside of ourselves and our inner circles and serve the world around us. We are to give from our excess so that none goes without food, shelter or clothing. A special emphasis is required towards orphans and widows (James 1:27) which implies those who are most vulnerable and cannot help themselves. We have enough resources within the Western church to totally eliminate hunger from this world. We have the resources to make certain that everyone has access to clean drinking water. Yet the statistics do not lie; we simply are not choosing to get it done.

Let’s begin to change the perception of Christianity throughout our world. Let’s make the argument based on what we stand for rather than on what we stand against. Every one of us has a vital role to play in this endeavor. If each of us were to start doing the things for which Christ created and commanded us to do, we would quickly revolutionize our societies. If we would simply carry on the mission of Jesus, the one to whom we all claim to be committed, we would turn our cities upside down. We are the called and chosen. We are the ones who have sworn allegiance to the King. Will we now take up our crosses, follow Him, and change the world?

First Steps in Following Jesus

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I continue to think about and be bothered by our modern evangelical methods. So many of us have grown up steeped in church culture and tradition, and we neglect our responsibility to test the things we are taught. I believe this has placed many Christians in great peril, in that many who believe they are “saved” are indeed not. We have glossed over one of the most frightening statements of Jesus when He said that He will turn away from many who call Him Lord because they truly didn’t know Him (Matthew 7:21-23). We teach that by simply believing in Jesus and saying a magic prayer that this guarantees our place in Heaven. There is no scriptural basis for this, yet the teaching has perpetuated through the Western church for the last couple of hundred years or so. We need to wake up to the realization that it takes more than a onetime prayer to truly know Jesus and to gain entrance into His kingdom.

To be a follower of Jesus first and foremost requires that we believe in Him, that He is who He claimed to be, the Son of the only God, the Creator of the Universe. We must accept the fact that we could never gain access to God save for the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross where His blood covered all of our sins. We can do nothing to earn our place in the Kingdom; it is only through the grace of God providing a way for us to enter in, that we gain the privilege of eternity with Him. His grace is available to everyone free of charge, but as with all gifts, this grace must be accepted. We accept this gift by allowing Him to glorify Himself through our lives. This is the purpose for which we were created. He glorifies Himself through us by the actions we take that reflect His character and fulfill His mission.

As we have discussed many times, we glorify God by doing the things Jesus commanded us to do: feed the hungry, provide water to the thirsty, give shelter to the homeless, clothe the poor, take care of the sick, visit those in prison and without hope (Matthew 25:31-46). We glorify God by providing for the needs of the orphans and the widows, and keeping ourselves from the temptations of the world around us (James 1:27). If we truly believe in the person and mission of Jesus Christ, we will glorify Him by working tirelessly for justice, opposing wickedness, and setting free all who are oppressed and enslaved (Isaiah 58:6). Finally, we glorify God by demonstrating our devotion to His son, regardless of the price. We must serve Jesus even if it costs us our home, our families, our possessions and even our own life. (Luke 9:57-62; Luke 18:18-23; Luke 9:23-27). This is a hard road to travel, but it is the only path that leads to the Kingdom of God.

The first step to true salvation is to believe in Jesus and that His death provides the forgiveness of our sins, without which we could never approach the Holy and perfect God. The next and equally important step is to accept His gift of grace by allowing God to glorify Himself through us. This is an ongoing active acceptance, not a onetime act. There are no free rides into Heaven. Jesus loves us beyond measure, but His perfect purity demands total devotion of our hearts toward Him. We demonstrate that devotion by our obedience to His commands and by continuing His mission on earth. If you have bought into the teaching that your place in Heaven is secured by simply reciting the “sinner’s prayer”, I urge you to prayerfully examine the Scriptures and seek out what it truly means to be a follower of Jesus. The time for this is now, we must not hesitate. Believe in Jesus and allow Him to show His glory through your life. Devote yourself to following His instructions and living out His mission. This is the only way to salvation. Don’t miss it and don’t be deceived. Determine today that you will grow to intimately know Jesus, so that you will never hear Jesus say the most chilling words ever spoken, “Depart from me, I never knew you”.