Even If i Walk Alone

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

Love

Love Is… Forgiveness

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Recently we’ve been looking at the various attributes that make up the concept of living in love, deconstructing what it looks like to demonstrate Christ-like love to others. We previously looked at kindness and patience, and today I’d like to discuss one of the most difficult attributes: forgiveness. In addition to being the foundation for our salvation, Scripture is replete with references commanding us to be a forgiving. In I Corinthians 13:5, it says that love keeps no record of wrongs. In other words, love is forgiving; it does not hold past offenses against another. Ephesians 4:32 tells us to forgive one another, just as Christ forgave us. If we want to live lives that look like Jesus, we must be forgiving people. Why then is it so difficult to do so, and what would it look like if we would truly model Christ’s forgiveness in our own lives?

To ask forgiveness of someone else means we must admit that we are sorry for behaving in the way we did towards them. If we are prideful, we will resent the insinuation that we are in the wrong. Pride often leads to anger, and anger to bitterness. Once we reach this stage, forgiveness can indeed be very hard to achieve. You don’t feel like humbling yourself and the other party now wants nothing to do with you. That’s why it is vital to heed the instruction in Ephesians 4:26 to not let the sun go down on your anger. Don’t let the day end with anger in your heart or it will fester all night, robbing you of sleep and depriving you of joy when you awaken. If you have wronged someone, seek forgiveness immediately. It is uncomfortable to do so, but it is far more difficult later. By remaining conscious of your words and actions, you can begin by asking forgiveness for small things. This will be easier and it will begin to develop the habit of forgiveness in your life. If you feel anger, make sure it doesn’t set up shop in your heart. Dispense of it immediately; nothing soothes anger quicker than forgiving someone of their trespass, even if they deliberately hurt you and refuse to apologize. You have no control over the actions of others, but you have full charge over your own reaction. Choosing to forgive disperses tension and anger, and allows you live a less stressful life.

If we are the ones who have been offended and now seek the forgiveness of someone else, we probably are hurt and retain some resentment against them until they apologize. Sometimes someone forgives us and we accept ever so gently by telling ourselves (or the other person!) that we forgive them, but we’ll never forget. That’s not forgiveness; that’s merely glossing over the problem and allowing it to be a problem in the future. When someone asks our forgiveness, we are to accept it and move on. We can no longer harbor animosity toward them; it is up to us to open our clenched fists and lay our hurt down at the feet of Jesus. He will take it from us, allowing us to move on unencumbered by the burden of malice. Always accept forgiveness from someone; doing so will benefit you both and allow your relationship to grow.

Anger is the opposite of love; therefore you cannot live in love and be angry at the same time. Ask God to take away your anger so you can begin living in love. Don’t be afraid to take the initiative in forgiving someone even if they don’t deserve it. You don’t deserve to be forgiven either, but Christ did it anyway. When someone asks you to forgive them, have the grace to do so. Jesus said we were to repeatedly forgive others (Matthew 18:21-22). Remember Christ placed no limits on His forgiveness, so neither should we. Begin by asking for forgiveness in the small things until you’ve developed the proper habit and spirit. Nothing reflects Christ more vividly than a forgiving heart. Asking for forgiveness demonstrates humility and gentleness. Giving forgiveness shows mercy and consideration. Taken together you can easily see how love is indeed forgiveness. A heart that practices forgiveness is a heart that Jesus can use to change the world. Forgive others as Christ forgave you; confess your shortcomings to those you have hurt. Live in love.

Love is… Kindness

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Knowing that love is the central attribute of God, and recognizing that we wish to pattern our lives after the model of Christ, I thought it important to take some time diving a little deeper into what love looks like when demonstrated in our own lives. Today I want to look at the topic of kindness. In I Corinthians chapter 13, the famous “love” chapter, Paul states in verse 4 that love is kind. Therefore, if we want to demonstrate love to one another, we must learn to speak and act with kindness.

It only takes a moment to smile at someone and engage them in eye contact. Simply taking the time to recognize another person attributes value to them. We are communicating that we esteem them worthy of our time, and that small piece of encouragement alone can turn around someone’s day. Haven’t you had that happen to you? You can be having a miserable day, only to get stuck in a long line at the checkout counter, when a complete stranger disarms you with a smile. It’s hard to remain mired in pity when confronted with kindness. It’s an interesting dichotomy how easy it is to feel all alone in a world of nearly seven billion people, but having someone favor us with a smile reminds us that we are not alone, that we are all in this together.

The words we speak are vitally important to how well we reflect kindness. Words can heal and words can destroy. They are powerful and must be carefully chosen. Ephesians 4:29 says that “No rotten talk should come from your mouth, but only what is good for the building up of someone in need.” We are all in need of being built up. Life has a way of beating us down, so having someone speak encouraging words into our situation is extremely refreshing and gives us the strength to persist in our journey. Since you know how much it means when someone speaks kindly to you, why not practice this towards others as well?

We all need to develop the habit of recognizing opportunities for kindness. I have started to begin my morning by praying that God would reveal the occasions where I can act kindly throughout my day; I ask him to light them up like neon signs, because I can be self-absorbed and easily miss things that aren’t staring me in the face. When you get the chance, make sure that you take it. Respond in kindness; buy a cup of coffee for someone, compliment someone’s new outfit, hold the elevator, open the door or assist in carrying something heavy. There are multitudes of ways you can show kindness to another every single day. Pray for recognition of these opportunities and for a heart of kindness that will compel you to respond to them.

One great suggestion I once read was to keep a log of every unkind word you speak or deed you perform for an entire day or week. If you will diligently record the ways you act unkindly, you will not only be mortified, but you will be determined to change. Here’s the hard part: once you have your list, go back and apologize to everyone to whom you were unkind. This will develop an attitude of humility, and I assure you the experience will leave you wanting to make certain you never have to go through it again. As you become painfully aware at the unkind choices you make, kindness will begin to develop as a habit in your life. Demonstrating your new habit to others will soon become second nature.

Ask God to reveal opportunities for kindness to you throughout your day, and also for the courage to take action when you see them. Guard your tongue against spiteful or damaging words and discipline yourself to speak only words of encouragement. Pray for God’s help with this, because it cannot be done in our own strength. Consider keeping a journal of unkind words you speak and follow up with an apology; it will be a life-altering experience. As kindness becomes a new habit for us, we will grow in love. To grow in love is to grow in Christ. And this is the goal, is it not? Begin practicing today and others will see the love of Christ reflected in you.

The Way, the Truth and the Life

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Jesus said that He is the way, the truth and the life. Truth and life are found only in Him, and the way we find these things is by living in the way He commands us. There is no alternate truth and no alternate life. We can believe the things He said and live, or reject His words and perish. These thoughts can be very divisive and are often seen as intolerant, but Jesus did not come to bring tolerance; He came to bring redemption and love to all who would believe and walk in His way. People want to believe that there are many truths or perhaps many paths to truth, but this belief is diametrically opposed to what Jesus said. There is no “and” or “or” to finding life; there is only Jesus.

This is a simple teaching, yet one that is hard to accept. The fact that there is only one way to truth and life makes it fairly easy to make the right choice. We don’t have ten different paths to confuse our decision; there is only one. Yet this teaching is difficult because we want to go our own way. We want to blaze our own trail, and having to succumb to the ways of another finds us wanting to rebel. The narrow path is brightly lit and lined with people who have gone before us who are there to keep us from stumbling off the road. Yet we are stubbornly intent on walking down the wider path, even though it is dimly lit and has dangerous cliffs on either side. When one takes a moment to step back and logically examine the choices, which way we should go becomes painfully obvious.

Jesus is the only way, and everything He says is true. While we can debate the finer points of modern church organization and disagree over worship styles and evangelism methods, Jesus is not up for disputation. He is who He said He was, and His instructions are clear. Throughout the Bible we find the common theme of caring for the poor and seeking justice for all people. We see that love is the greatest gift and the most powerful weapon. Love, justice, and mercy; these characteristics are the truth of Jesus. Paul said in I Corinthians chapter 13 that we can have all there is, but if we lack love then everything else becomes futile and worthless. If we don’t have love, then we don’t have truth. If we don’t have truth, we don’t have Jesus.

If we possess and practice love as Christ did, we will find the life that only He can offer. The love of Jesus is unconditional and unselfish. It is much different from the so-called love we find in the world today. We have so carelessly tossed around the word “love” that we have stripped it of its beauty and meaning. We say we love ice cream, football, surround sound, and sex; no wonder we’re confused by what it means to truly love as Jesus did. Serving others, having compassion on the poor, selflessly denying yourself so that someone else might have what they otherwise would not – this is the love modeled by Jesus. Until we learn to love as He did, we will lack truth and be unable to find our way along the path that leads to life.

Where do you find yourself today? Do you believe that Jesus is the only truth, the only salvation for mankind? Do you understand what it means to walk in the way that He did? Where are you in regards to living your life in love and service to others? These are questions of eternal importance. Where you spend eternity hinges on your answers to these questions. Jesus said that without Him, we will die. If we trust in His truth and live in love as we walk the road He travelled before us, we will find life in Him. If you have been seeking truth outside of Jesus, confess that to Him in prayer today. Acknowledge that you’ve missed the mark and have been walking on the wrong path. Ask Him to teach you to live in love and accept the truth of who He is today. Determine to never turn away, and ask Him to lead you along the way of truth. Walk in His love and His truth and you will find life eternally through Him.

Will You Give Up Your Life?

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A few days ago Al Qaeda terrorists stormed a church in Iraq and held hostage those who were gathered there. An attempt to free them by the police turned deadly and as I write this the number of those killed is fifty-two. Many more were injured and may not survive. I lead with this to remind us all that while this blog deals with the spiritual side of things, there is a very real physical element to our decision to follow Jesus. While spiritual warfare rages around us unseen, the implications of that very battle are manifested in human lives at every moment. It is said here often: following Jesus is difficult and not for the faint of heart; what perhaps isn’t said enough is that following Jesus can be deadly.

We should expect nothing less, for when we decide to follow in the footsteps of Christ we know where they eventually lead. Jesus steadfastly and purposefully walked to His own death on a cross. I hope you have not been deceived into believing that following Jesus would lead to a life of prosperity, health and the comforts of all this world has to offer. Sorry, but that’s not in the program. Jesus said that we must give up everything for His sake and that we must be willing to lay down our lives for Him, just as he did for us. He told us we would have no place to call home here on earth, and that we would face trial and persecution. None of this should come as a surprise or a shock. Yet every day Christians live in oblivious bliss, confident in their confession of faith, while blindly ignoring what it means to follow Jesus.

It is sobering to hear of the slaughter and torture of our Christian brothers and sisters. We become pensive and introspective. But for those of us who are able to do something about the injustice, we must do more that reflect; we must act. If you live in the West, you are blessed beyond all measure. We are richer than any people that have come before us. We have the ways and we have the means to come to the aid of our brothers and sisters in need. We have the technology and the know-how to proclaim the gospel to lands that forbid us to do so. We have been given so much and therefore much is required of us. We have grown comfortable and lazy in our homes and cities. We have lost the stomach to fight for the orphans, the windows and for justice. Now is the time to must rise up and fight for the name of Jesus. We must take a stand and proclaim His love and His message to all peoples, regardless of the cost to our own lives. If we are not willing to forsake everything, to lose our very lives, then how dare we call ourselves followers of Christ?

These are not easy words, but they also are not new. Look again at what Jesus told us to do. We are to go into all the world to teach others about Him. Yet two thousand years after He gave this command, a third of the world still has never heard His name or experienced His love. What excuse do we have for this? We are not doing enough. Christians around the world are giving their lives for the sake of continuing His mission, and we in the West are content to build buildings and insulate ourselves from all that is happening around us. God forgive us.

What are we to do? Pray diligently and confess our apathy. Weep before God, acknowledge our weakness and beg for the courage to run the race He has set before us. We travel a road that leads to physical death but spiritual life. We must not waver; the mission is too important. Too many have not heard, and it is up to us to tell them; if not us, then who? If not now, then when? We who bear the blood of Jesus must not shy away from shedding our own blood for the sake of His kingdom. The responsibility is ours, and it is great. Together we must carry our cross into the world to continue the mission of Christ. We must not grow weary, because we cannot fail.

Balancing Your Wants and Needs

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We live in a culture that is obsessed by what we “need” and by things we “deserve”. On top of this, we add the additional items which we simply want to have or achieve. At the end of the day, we are consumed by an avalanche of selfish desires that have no positive effect on the world around us and wind up serving only ourselves. This is not the model of Biblical Christianity. It is instead a far cry from the behavior of the early followers of Jesus that we find recorded in Acts 2:44-47. In that passage we see that Christians divided whatever they had and shared with anyone who was in need. There was no thought of “getting ahead in life” or hoarding resources for themselves. They weren’t concerned with personal wealth-building, but rather with building up someone else. Selfishness was not on their radar because the focal point of their lives was Jesus Christ.

Fast-forward two thousand years or so to our modern society. The things we “need” have taken on an entirely different meaning; where once our needs were food and shelter, they have now become extravagance and overabundance. If we don’t have a couple of week’s worth of food in our house, we “need” to go shopping. If we don’t live in a nice neighborhood, we “need” to move. If our televisions cannot display the latest HD quality picture, we “need” a new TV. I submit that the vast majority of our “needs” are more accurately simply a wish list of our “wants”. What we need is the love and grace of Jesus. That is a true need with the added benefit of being a glorious want and desire. We love Him because He first loved us and gave His life for us, so we want to live our life for Him. It’s beautiful the way God has caused us to want most that which we need most. He has put a deep longing within each of us to come to Him. He is all we need.

Another area we get wrong concerns the things we believe we “deserve”. We tell ourselves that we deserve to be happy, deserve to be secure and deserve nice things because we work hard to get them. This too flies in the face of Biblical teaching. What the Bible tells us we deserve is eternal damnation and separation from God in Hell. That is what we deserve. Anything we get that is more than this is simply because of the grace of God and we should fall on our faces and plead for His mercy. It is common to hear people say that they only want what they deserve; they can have it by simply continuing to live their lives for themselves and rejecting Christ. This is a sure-fire method to guarantee yourself to get what you deserve. Live for yourself and be eternally separated from God. Keep the money you earn to yourself and ignore the poor, and you will be stripped of everything you possess. It’s easy to get what you deserve; simply continue to live your life for yourself and leave God out of the equation. I will personally guarantee you, based on the word of God, that you will indeed receive the full measure of everything you deserve.

We need to rethink our wants, needs and our concept of what we believe we deserve. Our “wants” should be those things that will bring us closer to Jesus. Our “needs” should be just enough to survive in this world. What we deserve is clear, so we must repent, accept the grace of God as our covering, and praise Him from saving us from the life we truly merit. Don’t live your life on the terms dictated to you by our Western culture. Live your life in gratitude and service to Jesus, reflecting His love and grace to everyone you meet.