Even If i Walk Alone

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

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What does it mean to be a Christian?

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Since we talk so much about Christianity here, I thought it might be worthwhile for some to take a step back and define what being a Christian actually entails. Christianity in the traditional sense simply means one who is a follower of Christ. In modern evangelical terms (if you are new to Christianity, you’ll find we have A LOT of terms), a Christian is defined as someone who has prayed “the sinner’s prayer” and accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior. My purpose is not to find fault with either definition, but rather to elaborate on them, with an emphasis on what Jesus commanded of His followers.

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Poverty in America

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Last night I attended a photo exhibit called “Fighting for the Forgotten”, an event sponsored in conjunction with AmericanPoverty.org. Several photo journalists from around the country have been photographing the poor in America. The pictures were both sobering and heartbreaking. America is the richest nation in the world and has more churches and ministries than any other country. I discovered last night that I live in the 4th most affluent county in America (Who knew… and how the heck did they let me in?). Yet even in my county, the poverty rate is nearly 5% (source). In America the poverty rate is greater than 15% (source). By many estimates, the percentage of those living in poverty has already hit 20%; that’s one out of every 5 families that are living in, or very close to, poverty. How can we who claim to be followers of Christ sit on the sidelines and watch this happen? God forgive us for our apathy and hardened hearts when it comes to our response to the poor.

People in poverty are no different from you or me. The only thing we have that they don’t is a larger bank account. God loves each and every homeless or hurting individual exactly as much as He loves us. He longs to hold them and talk to them in the same way that He longs to hold and talk to us. We are blessed beyond compare and beyond explanation. God doesn’t play favorites. He hasn’t chosen some to live in poverty and some to live in plenty. He has chosen all to live in love, and He has chosen all to live in community, caring for the needs of one another. There are individuals in America today who preach what is often termed a “prosperity gospel”. They teach that God wants you to be wealthy, and that if we simply do what Jesus commands, we will be financially rich. Those who aren’t obviously aren’t yet right with God. Nothing could be further from Scriptural truth and it insults the poor that Jesus told us would always be among us. Christ taught that whatever we do for the poor, we do for Him. Jesus obviously did not come preaching a prosperity gospel. My point is that our culture, and even our churches, teaches us to look down on the poor. We have been conditioned to think of those in poverty as lazy, addicts, people far from God’s will.

Actually they are indeed far from God’s will, but not of their own doing (in most cases). God never wanted this for His children. He created them to live in perfect unity and fellowship with Him. We messed this up in the Garden of Eden, and we continue to mess it up today. We make bad choices, destructive decisions that lead to a downward spiral in our fallen world. Yet He still loves us and wants the best for us. He wants to reach out and help us, to walk with us. We are His hands that must reach out to the poor, and we are His feet that must walk with them through the hard times of their life. We are God’s people, Kingdom citizens called to care for the widow and the orphan, to feed the hungry and clothe those in need. The poor are not less than we are; they are greater than we are. Jesus proclaimed that the last will be first, and always gave special attention to the poor both in word and in deed.

It is our job, indeed our mission, to eradicate poverty. We are commanded to give to anyone in need. Don’t worry about tomorrow or think of setting something back for the future. The need is now; it’s all around us, and it is growing. One day we will have to give an account for how we utilized the resources God has given us. What will our excuse be then? Give out of your abundance; give out of your lack of abundance. Whatever you do, you must give; give of yourself, your time and your money. Poverty in our nation and throughout the world has reached staggering proportions. We cannot win a battle in which we will not engage. Don’t turn away from those in poverty. Don’t reject the call of Christ to care for the poor. Don’t keep the good news of His true Gospel to yourself. It has to start somewhere, it has to start some time, and it has to start with someone. Why not here, why not now, and why not you or me?

Rest

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Following Jesus is an adventure in passion and energy. Every day we seek out others in need in order that we may demonstrate the love of Christ by serving them. It is often a thankless job, as we serve them when no one else is looking. We work tirelessly not only to complete our own tasks, but works of service for others as well. A person willing to serve freely quickly gains a reputation, and soon you are on the speed dial of numerous committee’s and organizations. This is why so many who start with good intentions burn out not long after they started. What’s the secret of living a life of burning passion without being consumed by the flames? The answer, as always, is found in Jesus.

Jesus was intimately involved in the creation of our world; the cycles of that creation offer ready clues as to how we should live our lives. Looking simply at the twenty-four hour cycle of each day, it becomes obvious that each day was created with a time to work and a time to rest. In our modern electrical society, the lines have been blurred and we no longer have such a clear separation between work and rest hours. Just because we can work twenty-four hours per day does not mean we were created to do so. We should work diligently while there is light, and rest when night falls. While we must occasionally make exceptions to this rule, we need to be careful that they are indeed exceptions and do not become the rule.

The six days of labor and one day of rest model that God demonstrated for us has been frequently discussed and analyzed. Still, it seems that six thousand years later (give or take), we still haven’t gotten the point. Work passionately for six days every week. Work at your vocation, work on chores around your residence, and work in service to your family and others. But when the remaining day of the week (traditionally Saturday or Sunday depending upon your perspective, beliefs or upbringing) rolls around, take that day off. Taking the day off does not mean that you save all your household tasks for this day. Taking the day off means a day without tasks. Go to church, spend time with your family and friends, read a (non work-related) book or watch a positive movie. Take a nap, take a drive, take a break! This is your recharging day. God said to work for six days and rest on the seventh. That’s good enough for me.

You have been created for both work and rest. They work hand in hand, and must be kept in balance if we are to maintain good health and vibrant energy. As ambassadors of the king, we must always be at our best. We are at our best when we are healthy and energetic. Follow God’s model of both work and rest. When we are operating our bodies in accordance with the way He designed us, we will find that we can accomplish more and feel better than we ever have before. Work diligently in service to others as you pursue a life that looks like Jesus. But don’t neglect to recharge your spirit with sleep and prayer. Don’t forget to rest.

Don’t Be Normal

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So much of what Christ did ran against tradition and cultural acceptance. He touched diseased people, He ate dinner with prostitutes and thieves, and He refused to conform to societal norms. Somehow we seem to have lost this part of His message. Instead we have become a people obsessed with living in a manner consistent with everyone else. We drive the same cars, wear the same clothes and talk in the same manner as those who do not know Christ. Most of us live in comfortable houses in safe neighborhoods, surrounded by people who are just like us. Arguments are made about living among those who need Jesus and in identifying with them. We use this for justification of living a life that looks no different from our neighbors. Where is the desire to follow Jesus? Where is the passion to walk along the trail that He blazed before us? We are not different; we are not living any differently than the rest of the world, and we are certainly not living the countercultural lifestyle of Jesus Christ.

Where did we lose our way and veer from the path that leads to life? When did we decide that it was simply okay to be “normal”? Jesus wasn’t normal! He lived His entire life in service to others. He endured torture and agony, the likes of which most of us will never have to endure. We are a people consumed with temporal pleasures in lieu of eternal joy. Where is the logic in this? Do we realize what we risk by refusing to live the way Jesus lived? We call ourselves followers of Jesus then continue to live our self-centered and consumptive lifestyles.

Look outside your door; take a look at the evening news. Children are starving all around us. Desperate mothers sell their own dignity because it is the only way they can afford to buy food for their children. Mentally challenged individuals struggle to find a place to sleep and a way to survive in a world that grows increasingly intolerant and brutal. Normal people shake their heads at the tragedy of it all. Jesus did not react as normal people do. He reached out, He lifted people up, and He restored hope. He roamed homeless for over three years so He would be unencumbered by the things of this world in order that He would be free to serve anyone and in any place that He saw fit. Jesus wasn’t normal. He was abnormal in every way and we are called to live a life of this same abnormality.

How are you doing? Are you living a normal life? Are you keeping up with the Jones’ while turning away from the homeless? Do you see the sick and dying all around you? Do you tend to the needs of your neighbor and serve others at every opportunity? Are you leading a normal life or a life that is defiantly weird, a life of total abnormality in terms of love and service? I’ve seen and lived what normal is; I don’t want to be there. I want to live a life of fire and passion for the One who created me, loved me and saved me. I want to demonstrate His love to everyone I meet. I want to serve anyone who is in need. I don’t want to look away or be so consumed with myself that I cannot see beyond it. I don’t want to walk on any path except that which Christ walks before me. I simply cannot, I unequivocally refuse, to live my life for any purpose but to follow Him. I don’t want to be normal.

Becoming a Person of Character

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Every day, we are being watched by other people whether we realize it or not. Those whom we have never met are constantly forming opinions of us. Take an honest look at the way you view the world around you; we all make snap judgments of others based on experience, prejudice or jealousy. The man in the sharp suit is successful, the woman in the low cut blouse is a tramp; the dark-skinned boy is a thug or the light-skinned boy is a dishonest schemer. All this and more from we who profess to follow the teachings of the One who told us not to judge.

J.C. Watts said that “Character is doing the right thing when nobody’s looking.” Follow that up with this quote from Thomas Paine: “Character is much easier kept than recovered.” If we are going to be observed and judged by people throughout our day, and we desire to reflect the life of Christ, we must become people of impeccable character. I don’t believe any of us would doubt the character of Jesus. He lived a life marked by the highest morality and the highest character. While He may have set the bar at an unattainable level, we should nevertheless strive to reach His marker.

The first step in developing a solid character is to build it on the strongest of foundations – Jesus Christ. If we don’t base everything we do on Jesus, no matter what we do will eventually fail. Jesus is the truth, in Him alone is life. To start with Jesus is to guarantee success in your life. A life that ends in the arms of Jesus cannot possibly be called a failure! When the daily stress of life beats against you, you will need to be anchored in the truth, anchored in someone stronger than yourself. You build on this foundation by developing positive character traits. These traits are the same ones that were modeled by Jesus: humility, truthfulness, honesty, graciousness, compassion, integrity, love, peace and joy. These traits can be developed; they aren’t something you are born with. You must work to incorporate them as habits into your life.

You cannot fake a good character, at least not for long. Most will immediately identify you for the fraud that you are; others will discover it over time. To be certain, you will eventually be found out and humiliated in some fashion or another. It does no good to fake the traits of good character. Instead, work hard to develop each of the habits in your life. Your desire to become a person of character starts with maintaining a positive mindset through all adversity. Positive people are simply more attractive people. You must determine in your own mind that you will begin to cultivate the habits of good character. Once you have set your mind to the task, practice incorporating these traits into your life each and every day. Simply making the decision to be a person of character will reap immediate rewards in your life. You will suddenly find yourself choosing to do the right things for the simple reason that it is the right thing to do. You will be on your way to becoming a person of character.

Does character really matter in the grand scheme of things? Shouldn’t we just focus on reading the Bible and telling others about Jesus? Don’t forget, our goal is to live a life that looks like Jesus. Since Jesus had the highest character, this is why it is important that we too have a strong character. The way we live is our most powerful witnessing tool. When people admire us and desire to be more like us, they really desire to be more like Jesus, because it is He that shines through us. So yes, reading the Bible is vital, as well as telling others about Him. There is no stronger way to tell someone about Christ than to be a person of character that reflects our King in everything that we do.