Even If i Walk Alone

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

Love

Lest I Forget

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On her 2005 album, “If I Had One Chance to Tell You Something”, Rebecca St. James wrote a beautiful song entitled “Lest I Forget”. The song’s melody is at once haunting and peaceful. I have often used the song to enter into a state of contemplative worship. The words are both simple and powerful.

I sit in silence here
I’m filled with wonder once again
I’m overwhelmed by Your beautiful love
Now I, I’m falling to my knees, so grateful for the grace You give
The love I need I’ve found in you

I recently wrote about finding some time to just sit in silence (see “Taking Time to Breathe”). This is such an important discipline, to shut out all distractions and focus solely on the Lord. When was the last time you simply marveled at the wonder of God? The Creator of the universe has chosen to collaborate in writing the history of the world with the likes of you and me. He has redeemed us from the life we deserve and instead has promised us eternal life in Him. We consistently rebel against Him, fall repeatedly into the same temptations and yet He is always eager to welcome us back into His arms. No other love on earth can match the amazing love our Father has for us. Take some time to think on His wonder, His love, and His glory. I guarantee it will drive you to your knees in awe. God has provided everything we will ever need in the person of Jesus Christ.

Lord, You wept tears of blood for me
You hung in agony so deep
Carried my sin away for good

It is a newer tradition in my household to watch the movie, “The Passion of the Christ” on Good Friday each year. Put aside the controversy that surrounded the film and more recently its producer, and concentrate on the depiction of suffering that Christ endured for us. It is so difficult to watch. Who would do such a thing for the life of someone not yet even born? Jesus would have known that I might spend my whole life rebelling against Him, yet He chose to sacrifice His life for mine, just for the chance that I could one day experience His love. He wept tears in my place and withstood torture that I can scarcely imagine. He did this so I might live. His only motivation was a love so outrageous that I will never fully comprehend it.

Lest I forget
All of your goodness
The blood you have shed
The cross I now remember
Lest I forget

I don’t ever want to take for granted what He did for me. I never want to lose the wonder of His love and mercy, and I refuse to overlook the price He paid. Our busy world affords us little opportunity to slow down and ponder the majesty of God. It is important to the health of our soul and our relationship with Christ that we do so. In all of our hurry we must take some time to get alone with Him and reflect on His glory and remember exactly what He went through on our behalf. It’s not a feel good story that is often articulated from our pulpits. There are far easier passages of Scripture on which to meditate and study. Without the reality of the cross though, nothing else would matter. Everything hinges on the sacrifice of Jesus for an undeserving world. We must always keep His life and death at the forefront of our minds. I could never repay what He has done for me. All I can do is obey Him and follow the instructions He gave. Nothing I can do will ever be enough to return the love He lavished on me. He died for me, so I am compelled to live for Him. I will always vividly remember the cross… lest I forget.

 

 

You Are Loved

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Do you understand how much Jesus actually loves you? Almost every follower of Christ would acknowledge that He loves them, but do you fully comprehend the depth of that love? In John 15:9, Jesus says that He loves us just as the Father loves Him. That’s an incredible statement. Consider how much God loves His Son. Can you even fathom the enormity of that love? And yet Jesus says that He loves each of us with that same love, a love that truly goes beyond our ability to understand.

We serve others in order to reflect the love of Christ. We volunteer and sacrifice to love others as Christ loves us. But do we really get what that means? Jesus loves us with the same intensity that He is loved by the Father. Therefore, if we are to truly live a life that looks like His, we must lavish this same love on everyone we meet. No one is too insignificant, and we must never be too busy to stop and seize the divine moment in front of us. God would never pass up an opportunity to show love to His Son, just as Jesus would never overlook the chance to demonstrate His love to us. So too we must always be eager to share the love of Christ with everyone we encounter. This love is all consuming and it must permeate every cell of our bodies.

We’ve probably all gone through periods in our lives when we felt that no one cared and that no one would notice if we simply disappeared. The frenetic pace that our days are subjected to leaves us weary and frazzled by the time we lie down at night. More and more communication is happening via email and Facebook, and personal interaction is quickly becoming an afterthought. All of this leads to a feeling of emptiness, and it becomes easy to feel lost and alone. In times like these we need to quiet our hearts and remember John 15:9. Jesus loves us just as the Father loves Him. There is no greater love. We are not alone and we have a purpose to fulfill.

Jesus told us to look after the orphans and widows (James 1:27), to feed the hungry and care for the sick. He told us to visit those in prison and to take in those with no place to go (Matthew 25:31-46). How can we do those things unless we love people with a passion so consuming that it compels us to do more and more for others? Caring for the needs of another is exhausting if done out of necessity or duty; but it is exhilarating, satisfying and refreshing when done out of love. It’s all about the attitude with which we approach the situation. Are we choosing to love them as Christ loves us, or are we trying to earn our way to Heaven by doing good deeds? God does not only want us to do the things He commands, but to do it with the right attitude in our hearts (Ephesians 6:6-7; Colossians 3:23). When we serve others because the love of Christ in us allows us to do nothing else, then we are moving in harmony with His mission and purpose for our lives.

Take a few minutes today to contemplate the love Christ has for you. Drink in the overflowing richness of that love and allow yourself to bask in the glory of it. Take a mental snapshot of the feeling; this is how you want to love those around you. When you serve them, do it because you are beginning to understand the depth of the love that Jesus has for you. Share that love with another and allow them to feel the warmth of God’s Spirit as it emanates from within you. Never take the love of Christ for granted, but at the same time do not underestimate the enormity of it. Dive in deep; swim in the ocean of His love for you. Walk in light and serve others in the name of the One who loves you beyond your wildest dreams.

Christianity and Warfare

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With all the unrest in the Middle East and Africa these days, there is a lot of talk about “just wars’ and killing in the name of liberation and justice. I have long struggled with taking the life of someone else simply because of their political ideology. Now I am not naïve and understand that many people in these parts of the world are being oppressed and treated in inhumane ways. I don’t think anyone would disagree with the need to help them. My heart breaks when I read the stories of those who are brutally tortured and killed simply because they follow Jesus. I find it repulsive that any leader would abuse his power and live in luxury while his own people starve. I can’t, however, believe that killing the perceived enemy is the way Christ would approach the situation.

The horrific fact of the matter is that most of the people being killed in these parts of the world do not know Christ. When their lives are taken, any chance of coming to know the love and life offered by Jesus is taken from them as well. We wield the weapons that forever separate them from God. I am not a pacifist; I grew up in a military family and was brought up to believe that America is God’s chosen instrument to dole out justice in the world. As an adult I now struggle with that idea and with the dichotomy of war. Killing seems senseless and contrary to the teachings of Christ. Every day, more die and go to hell. I shudder at what is going on in the world as it seems to spiral ever downward and away from God.

If you’ve read this far hoping to find answers, I’m afraid you will be disappointed; I don’t have any. It seems wrong to sit back and ignore the injustice, while at the same time it seems even more wrong to eliminate the chance for someone to come to Christ before they die. Surely there must be an alternate solution. Perhaps if the Church (and that includes both you and me) were truly doing what we have been called to do, then maybe we wouldn’t be in this mess in the first place. We are called to love our neighbor, but we are more prone to suspicion and jealousy. We are told to care for the poor, but our actions reveal that we keep far more for ourselves than we share. Individually we are too selfish, and collectively we have isolated ourselves from the world around us. Since the walls of our buildings were not designed to keep the members in, does it not follow that they were created to keep others out?

Wherever Jesus went, people were drawn to Him. They wanted to hear what He had to say, and be wherever he was going. What sort of following are we drawing? War did not spring up around Jesus and His disciples. In fact when those who did not believe in Jesus put Him to death, His followers did not rebel in violence. Instead they continued serving those around them which resulted in more and more coming to know the love and forgiveness of Jesus Christ. When His followers were themselves being put to death, they still did not respond in violence but instead were emboldened to take His message throughout the world.

Are we in the modern Church living worthy of our commission? We are called to demonstrate the love and peace of Jesus to all people, regardless of nationality or origin. It is tempting to get caught up within patriotism and to identify oneself with their country. Remember that we are a new creation, and as followers of Jesus, we now identify with Him alone. We have no weapons save for the love of God. It’s about time we started wielding that weapon in the world in which we live. We all are called to love our neighbors as ourselves. Let’s start the healing process one person at a time, and let’s fan that flame throughout the world. True peace is never established by the sword; it comes only through the cross.

Always By Your Side

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How long has it been since you have marveled at the hand of God on your life? It seems we spend far more time beating ourselves up over things we could have done and opportunities we failed to seize, as opposed to taking the time to reflect on all that God has done for us and through us. We lose our self worth because we fail to recognize how much we are valued. We compare ourselves to others instead of understanding who we are in the eyes of Jesus. Each of us is significant; every one of us matters. We all have a role to play in the life that has been entrusted to us, but it is up to us to recognize it.

When we were small, God was there. Angels danced in celebration when we were born, and the eyes of God beamed in anticipation of all we might become for His glory. He watched over our growth and development while calling out to us all along the way. He slayed the monsters under our beds and held us steady as we rode a bicycle for the first time. It was He who healed us when we fell and dried the tears from our eyes when no one else was around. With each passing year, it was He who molded us, forming us into the person He designed us to become.

As teenagers, He watched over us through everything. He saw the things we did that we should not be doing, yet continued to love and call out to us. When we took the wheel of a car for the first time, He was there to protect and instruct us. When we had our hearts broken, He was there to put the pieces back together again. He was the friend we could always talk to regardless of the circumstances. He was the constant gardener, pruning the rough edges and shaping us into the person who would best serve His Kingdom.

As adults, God is still there. He is there when we embark on a career and face challenges and temptations we have never known. God is there when we commit our hand in marriage and He is there when we face the struggle of being alone. He sees our heartaches and He knows our pain. He longs to wrap us in His arms and give shelter from all the damage the world inflicts upon us. His voice still beckons us to follow and to find a life greater than we have ever imagined, one lived for His Kingdom and His glory. He has never forgotten the person He created us to be, yet He allows us to go another way if we should choose. He waits patiently, following close behind, longing for the moment we will return. He is our provider and our comfort. He is our constant help in trouble.

When all is said and done and we breathe our last, if we have been faithful to love and follow Him, we will meet Him face to face. At last we will truly understand the enormity of His love. We will marvel at His utter beauty and holiness. God has always been there, yet we have known Him only in glimpses and pieces of the truth. When we gaze upon His glory, we will look back and see that He has always been with us and wonder how we could have so often missed that fact. He is our redeemer, He is our Creator. In the end He will be our sustainer. Take some time to marvel at his love and worship Him as Lord of your life. He is always by your side; recognize His presence today and rest in His love.

Are You Thirsty?

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Today I would like to focus on the flip side of yesterday’s discussion about hunger (see “Our Daily Bread”) and take a look at thirst. Clean water is something we easily take for granted in well developed countries. We can simply turn the faucet on at any time of the day or night and get a refreshing drink. This is not the case for nearly a billion people on our planet. While it is essential for health and life, access to clean water remains elusive or impossible for far too many people.

There are some rather startling statistics about water. According to TheWaterProject.org, at any given moment, half of the world’s hospital beds are filled with patients suffering from a water-borne illness; one out of every four deaths of children under the age of five are due to water-related disease; women in developing countries must walk several miles to gather water, and return carrying a jug weighing close to fifty pounds. Meanwhile in America, we average consuming thirty gallons of bottled water per person each year (NPR). While 25% of children under the age of five die because of the lack of clean water, we have been unmoved. In America there seems to be more concern about obtaining the purest water with the utmost of convenience rather than for those who have no access to water whatsoever.

Jesus said that all who thirst should come to Him (John 7:37-38). He was using the importance of water as a metaphor for what is required for life. There is no spiritual life without Christ, and there is no physical life without water. Recognizing this need, Jesus commanded His followers to give a drink to those who were thirsty (Matthew 25:31-46). Just as feeding the hungry was put forth as a stipulation to demonstrate our love for Him, so too is providing water for the thirsty. If we love Jesus, we will do what He tells us to do; we will provide clean water for those who thirst.

As followers of Christ, we must do what we can to provide clean drinking water to those in need. Persecution Project’s “100 Wells Campaign” is striving to provide water to the people of Jaac, Sudan. Many of the people in this region have come there due to the genocide in Darfur. The area cannot support the growing population, so more water is needed to sustain life and prevent disease. Living Water International has completed 9,000 water projects in 26 countries and shows no signs of slowing down. These are two charities with which I have had personal experience and recommend without hesitation. Consider making it a priority to financially support those who are in the field delivering water to dry and barren places.

On a local level, you can always distribute bottled water to the poor and homeless in your community. During the summer months, it is easy for those who live outdoors to quickly become dehydrated. Your simple act of kindness in giving them something to drink may lead to the opportunity to share the love of Jesus with them. Who knows what impact you may have on their life by being the hands and feet of Jesus?

Every time you take a drink of water, try to remember those who do not have such a luxury. Pray for them and for the ministries that are actively working to overcome the problem. Consider ways you might be able to help, either financially or through volunteering. Jesus said those who give water to the thirsty are blessed and will be welcomed into His presence. If we turn our back on those in need, we are deliberately rejecting the instructions of Christ. True followers will do what He told us to do. Give someone a drink, in the name of Jesus today. Refresh their spirit and take pleasure in being His hands and feet to the thirsty. The Kingdom of God is revealed one cup of water at a time.