Even If i Walk Alone

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

mission

Make Tomorrow Today

by

Until we make tomorrow today, I am convinced we will die the same (or worse) as we are right now. As a people, we are notorious procrastinators. Some are worse than others, but we all have an uncanny tendency to put off those things we deem uncomfortable or difficult. It’s true in all areas of our lives, but nowhere are the results more devastating than in our walk with Christ. How many times have we resolved to read through the Bible… next year.

make tomorrow today,procrastination,do it now,don't put off,discipline,commitment,priorities,purpose,Luke 9:59-62,no one who puts hand to plow,reject Christ,turn away from Jesus,Jesus first,live for Jesus,live for Christ

image © sean824 via Fotolia

Perhaps you committed to getting up 30 minutes earlier for some quiet time with God, but since it was already Wednesday, it seemed wise to wait until Monday to kick off the new habit. Or maybe you determined praying with your spouse or best friend would be a great idea, so you promise you’ll begin doing this tomorrow. The trouble is, tomorrow never comes. Until we make tomorrow today, we will forever be adrift in our wishes, dreams, and best-laid plans.

[Read more…] about Make Tomorrow Today

What Are You Making Jesus Do?

by

I was listening to an old message from Francis Chan, and he said something was mind-blowing in a life-altering kind of way. While we’ve talked here before about living with Jesus (see “Are You Living For or With Jesus?”), Francis took it to an entirely new level for me. He said since Christ is both in us and with us, whatever we do, Jesus does.  Pastor Chan said it more forcibly. He intimated when we choose to engage in sin, we are essentially forcing Jesus to engage in the same behavior. He doesn’t mean this in a literal sense of course because Jesus never did and never will sin.

what are you making Jesus do,deny Christ,discipleship,commitment,Francis Chan,Matthew 10:33,if you deny me before men

image © Marina P. via Fotolia

But Jesus did experience the weight of our sin when He hung on the cross. So, every time we choose to sin we are causing Jesus to experience the horror and weight of that sin. Again, it’s not that Jesus must die again for the new sin. What He did on the cross was once and for all. Still, if we believe Jesus is always with us, does it not then follow He is with us when we sin?

[Read more…] about What Are You Making Jesus Do?

Take from the Day

by

Jim Rohn was and is one of the great mentors in my life. One of the things he taught was to never be content to just get through the day, but rather see what you can take from the day. I’d take it one step further and ask, once you’ve taken everything you can from the day, what is it you can pour back into the day? Another way to think about this would be to determine how you can take what you gained from today and use it to help others tomorrow.

take from the day,give back,Jim Rohn,commitment,mission,service,homeless,surrender,priorities,works,leave better

I believe this aligns very well with the way Jesus lived. He didn’t get cheated on any day. He took every opportunity to share His message and glorify His Father. I think it’s the perfect example of taking what the day offers and pouring it back out into the lives of others. How can we do the same in our own lives?

[Read more…] about Take from the Day

Revolution of the Heart

by

Dorothy Day once said, “The greatest challenge of the day is how to bring about a revolution of the heart, a revolution which has to start with each of us.” This is the challenge for disciples of Jesus. Christ Himself was a revolutionary. The things He taught were unlike anything His listeners had heard before. His compassion dwarfed all who had come before Him. The wisdom of Jesus was unrivaled, and He demanded obedience and devotion to Himself and the good news He brought.

revolution of the heart,revolution and change,commitment,discipleship,starbucks,the church,mission,purpose,security,comfort,devotion,viva la revolution,viva la revolucion

image © dbvirago via Fotolia

Fast-forward to today, and we find churches full of so-called Christians content to live their lives in complacency and mediocrity. Instead of committing ourselves to the One who makes all things new, who brings new mercies to bear every morning, we succumb to the philosophy of “there is nothing new under the sun”. We need a revolution of the heart, and we need it today.

[Read more…] about Revolution of the Heart

Fantasies and Daydreams

by

In his book, “All Things New”, author John Eldredge writes, “Where we take our fantasies is a helpful way to know what we are doing with our Kingdom heart”. Which begs the question, “What is it about which you are fantasizing?” Said another way, when you daydream, about what are you dreaming? We go in the direction of the things about which we think. Indeed, we grow in the direction of the things about which we think.

fantasies and daydreams,dreams,purpose,mission,Kingdom of God,God's Kingdom,commitment,mission,discipleship,Neal Peart,Rush,drums,drumming,drummer,John Eldredge,all things new,wild at heart,greatest drummer,great drummers

image © Yulia Buchatskaya via Fotolia

Our fantasies and daydreams reveal the deepest desires of our heart. Far from fancy or whimsy, and regardless of their implausibility, fantasies and daydreams reveal what we would be if we were God. What are your fantasies and daydreams revealing about you? Are they revealing a God-focused, others-centered disciple? Or are they revealing a prideful and self-centered individual?

[Read more…] about Fantasies and Daydreams