Even If i Walk Alone

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

mission

The Folly of Self-Esteem

by

self-esteem,self esteem,confidence,unsurpassable worth,who you are in God's eyes,who God says you are,identity in Christ,identity in God

There seems to be a lot of emphasis on self-esteem these days. Parents want to bring up their children with a healthy self-esteem; psychologists want to impart it to their patients. Having low self-esteem is said to negatively affect our creativity, integrity, and stability. It makes one overly critical, socially awkward, and generally unconfident; all of this because we don’t feel good about ourselves. As followers of Jesus, we should immediately see the trap in this way of thinking. All the focus is on the self; it’s on the child or the individual. We’re looking for reasons why we don’t feel we measure up to the rest of the world. To quote an old song, “we’re looking for love in all the wrong places”.

[Read more…] about The Folly of Self-Esteem

At Ease While the World Burns

by

tozer,a.w. tozer,tozer on leaderhip,at ease while the world burns,comfort,safety,security

In the book, “Tozer on Christian Leadership”, A.W. Tozer says: “To me, it has always been difficult to understand those evangelical Christians who insist upon living in the crisis as if no crisis existed. They say they serve the Lord, but they divide their days so as to leave plenty of time to play and loaf and enjoy the pleasures of the world as well. They are at ease while the world burns…” I love Tozer. He never minced words and simply told it as it is. The statement above should convict every one of us. We spend so much time planning our lives and virtually none plotting how we will war against the enemy today.

[Read more…] about At Ease While the World Burns

Worth It All

by

commitment,indifference,the gospel story,jesus paid it all.,the gospel,tragic kingdom,no doubt,worth it all,what's Jesus worth to you

It seems the longer we know Christ, the easier it is to become anesthetized to what He actually did on our behalf. We know the story of Jesus, how he became one of us only to die in our place. It’s a tragic but beautiful story. Too often that’s all it is to us. Whatever emotion and power we once took from the story has long since been replaced with nostalgia and boredom. How else do we explain the way we live? God gave His only Son to come and die for the wrongs we have done, yet we live our lives in casual indifference to that fact.

[Read more…] about Worth It All

Taking Action

by

resolutions,take action,life's purpose,kingdom of God,spiritual gifts,passions

Most of us wish we were doing more that mattered. As followers of Christ we know we should be walking in His footsteps, doing the things He did and told us to do. We even make plans and resolutions to do more, serve more, and be more. Even when we are determined and our motives are pure, we tend to stop there. We stop at a wish, a hope, or even a prayer. But there are no style points in God’s Kingdom for wishful thinking. It is only when we take action and boldly move forward that the mission of Christ is furthered.

[Read more…] about Taking Action

A Clean Slate

by

clean slate,forgiveness,second chances,mulligan,new years resolution,change your life,god's will,life purpose

Those who know me best know I love this time of the year. A new year brings new goals, new dreams, and new prospects. As followers of Christ, we have the same opportunity every moment of our lives. No matter what we did ten minutes ago, no matter how badly we failed, we immediately get a brand new start thanks to the cleansing blood of Jesus. He is constantly making all things new (Revelation 21:5). If your life is as inconsistent as mine, this is tremendous news! We don’t have to wait an entire year to kick things off fresh. We can begin anew right here and right now.

Have you ever stopped to consider the power of Christ’s forgiveness? There aren’t many things in life where you get a “do-over”. While it’s true that once a moment has passed we have lost it forever, it is comforting to know that Jesus doesn’t give up on us because we blew an opportunity. He is infinitely patient and always forgiving. He is always willing to give us another opportunity to serve Him as long as we are truly seeking after Him. Serving God is not a one-time event, but rather a life-long string of chances to glorify Him.

While in our minds we might see a list of all our failures and missed opportunities, Jesus patiently waits with a clean slate on which to write how much He loves us. Every new moment is surrounded by His love for us. Christ wants nothing more than to see us become the person He created us to be. He roots for you every second of your life. He is your greatest cheerleader and constant companion. Because of this, our greatest goal should be to honor Him and in some small way thank Him for His infinite love and forgiveness.

What will you do with your clean slate this year? How will you serve Him better? In what new ways will you bring Him glory? If you’re a goal-setter like me, your goals should start with how you will grow in God and detail how you will seek to serve Him. I would argue that every goal you have should in some way relate to how it furthers the Kingdom of God. If you aspire to earn more money or achieve a certain status, make certain you know how you will exploit those things to glorify God and empower those less fortunate than yourself.

Don’t stumble into the New Year without a plan. You were created for a purpose, not for some sort of random wandering. God’s plans are always specific, not a collection of vague generalities. He has blessed us with grace, forgiveness, love, and a unique purpose for our lives. What will we do with those gifts? Don’t let failure get you down; dust yourself off, get up, and serve Him again. There are few gifts as great and full of possibilities as a clean slate. What will you do with yours?