Even If i Walk Alone

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

passion

Living a Non-Conformist Life

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Each of us was created for a purpose and has a specific role to play in furthering the mission of Jesus. We have been given a unique combination of passions and talents with which to live out our calling to be disciples of Christ. When was the last time you took inventory of your life to determine how well you were fulfilling your purpose? When was the last time you dreamed the dreams of youth, those carefree times when you recklessly threw yourself into a task without even considering the consequences? Many of us grew up being told we could be whatever we wanted to be, yet somewhere after high school we began to believe that less and less. We no longer dream or believe but rather sleepwalk through a life of conformity. I want to be a non-conformist for Christ.

What would it look like if we put aside social acceptance and cultural propriety and simply lived the life for which we were purposed? What if we cast off the fetters of responsible behavior and instead began to live radically for God? No longer constrained by a list of rules meant to keep everyone in their place, we would be suddenly free to blur the edges and color outside the lines. We would create new ways of doing ministry, breathe new fire into tired ideas and attack our mission with a zeal usually reserved for Bible stories. Imagine defying the acceptable norm and hanging out with those who society deems unseemly and repugnant. Imagine touching the sick and diseased or taking some time to share some conversation with people of questionable integrity or repute. This would certainly be a life that flew in the face of conventional wisdom. The best part is that it would be a life that looked an awful lot like Jesus.

Don’t worry; you’ll probably never have the opportunity to live in such a manner because we have forgotten how to dream. We’ve long ago shuttered our passions and creativity and exchanged them for a life of normalcy and acceptance. How mundane is that? When I read the Bible, I find Jesus to be anything but boring. He was always doing the unexpected and living a dangerous life. He was bold and unafraid. He was opinionated and firm in His convictions. He was gentle, kind, and cared deeply for those around Him. Through it all, He never lost His ability to dream. He knew what His purpose was from childhood, and never wavered for a moment. Yes, it’s true He is God, and so how else would we expect Him to act? But remember, we claim to be His disciples; we claim to live our lives as He lived His, and that He is our example and model. If we believe all this and live a dispassionate life of conformity, then we are simply fooling ourselves.

Remember when you dreamed dreams and were determined to see them fulfilled? Remember how you pledged your allegiance to Jesus and swore you’d never turn away? We said we’d follow Him anywhere and we’d model our life after His. Somewhere along the way we began listening to the whispers of another and sacrificed everything we were on the altar of conformity that is the “American dream.” Fiscal responsibility suddenly trumped holy abandon and self-sufficiency replaced total reliance. Now we are everything we vowed we would never become. We were called to be radical, peculiar disciples whose only loyalty was to the Kingdom of God, but instead have settled for being mature, responsible citizens of the world. I don’t want to face Jesus as a conformist. I want to greet Him as an audacious non-conformist, one who dreamed big dreams and used the talents given me to further His kingdom in radical ways. Everything I do I want to do for Him and because it is something He would do.

Are you conforming or diverging onto the path less travelled? Do you seek safety or are you willing to lose it all for His sake? If we are not living passionately for His kingdom then we are missing the mark and we have missed the point. Following Jesus is not something to which we can simply give lip service. That’s professing, not following. We have to move beyond confession and into a life that is fully alive in Christ. We must live each day as if it is our last because someday it will be. Don’t conform to what this world expects. Rise above and live the life for which you were created.

Betting the Farm on Jesus

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As I began gathering my thoughts and praying about my goals for next year, I suddenly became aware of a very obvious but often underlying point. Everything I am considering, the core around which I am planning every action, is Jesus Christ. I have reached a point in my life where this is becoming as natural as breathing to me. No longer am I making plans based on what my whims and desires might be or setting my aspirations on making a significant amount of money. No, everything revolves around Jesus. My dreams are to do things that will draw others to him. My joy comes from the thought of freeing the oppressed and seeing the name of Jesus taught to all nations and people groups. I don’t say this to point out how much I’ve grown (indeed I would argue that having been a Christian for thirty-seven years now, my progress has been ridiculously slow), but rather to say that if Jesus is not who He said He was, I am basing my life on foundation of deceit and empty words. In other words, I’m betting the farm on Jesus.

I’ve been asked how I could possibly believe the things I do. The whole story seems rather fantastic and rather imaginary, does it not? I have also been told that it takes a lot of faith to believe the way I do. As Steve Taylor once penned in a lyric, “Don’t you know by now why the chosen are few? It’s harder to believe than not to.” It’s far easier to dismiss the Biblical message and the Gospel as a fanciful story written by suspicious men of days long past. It’s easier to live a life that is accountable to no one other than yourself. Who wouldn’t enjoy the thought that we should indulge in all of the best this world has to offer? Christianity is viewed as an archaic set of rules meant to limit our freedom and subject us to judgment. Couple this with a beginning that ultimately cannot be proven, and we see why so many laugh in the face of the Gospel.

I believe that reality is the exact opposite. While the story is truly fantastic, it is no less plausible and actually far more logical than any alternative the world has offered. When accurately studied, the whole of evolution is untenable and hopelessly ridiculous. I find that it takes far more faith to believe in the magic circumstances of primordial ooze and it’s equally fortuitous progression into human kind than it does to believe in creation by a loving God who possesses intelligence far superior to our own. I find the sacrifice of Christ on man’s behalf hard to fathom from the standpoint of what we deserve, but also see it in perfect harmony with the character of God revealed in Scripture. The last thing I find in a life of following Jesus is a lack of freedom. I have never felt so free or at peace as when I am seeking Him. I never found freedom in anything the world offered, only temporary satisfaction that was quickly exchanged for long term bondage. That is not freedom! The so-called rules of Christianity are actually things we choose to do out of love for our Lord. We don’t give up or miss out on anything. Instead we bask in the glory of the love of Jesus. I have seen Him answer prayer; I have lived a life that defies explanation outside of Divine intervention. I am not sorry for, nor doubtful of, what I believe.

So I’m all in. I am betting the farm on the truth of the claims of Jesus Christ. My life will mean nothing outside of Him. Every step I take, I take with the intent to follow Him. My goals and aspirations revolve around continuing His mission. My passion is to become the person He created me to be so that I might express His love to others and work for His justice in a broken and hurting world. This allows me to face the future with an invigorated attitude and confident direction.

In what are you placing your faith? Do you have a firm foundation on which to build your life? Are you convinced that Jesus is who He said He was? True hope, true freedom, are found only in Christ. Decide today to follow Him and give Him all of your life. Your dreams and desires are safe with God. Like me, you can feel confident on betting the farm on Jesus Christ.

Risk vs. Reward

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No matter how you stack it up, life is a never ending adventure. Each day we have the opportunity to rewrite the script, to change our course and to seek new challenges. In the free nations of our world, we have the privilege of achieving high levels of success and acquiring great wealth. We can do all of these things without giving much thought to the spiritual side of life; so we risk squandering the most incredible opportunity of all, the chance to know God personally, to enjoy an intimate relationship with the one who created us. Many are afraid that if they give their lives to Christ that they will have to give up too much of what they have worked to obtain. They are afraid they will be required to sacrifice their lifestyle, their friends and their activities. The price simply seems too high.

What if we risked it all? What if we determined to live our lives full throttle for Jesus Christ? If we threw ourselves into the teeth of life with reckless abandon and didn’t care what we might lose, how then might we impact the world? Two thousand years ago, one man and twelve of his followers literally altered the course of human history forever. One man’s influence has permeated through every generation that has come after Him. A small handful of ordinary souls who devoted their lives to following Him spread His message throughout the world and thereby continued the mission to which they had been called. They risked everything; they suffered persecution, torture and even death. All this they deemed worth the cost because they knew if they endured for God’s sake, He would reward them with eternal rest and peace in His kingdom. They were willing to lose everything they had achieved and acquired for the sake of continuing the mission of Jesus Christ. They risked it all and lost everything of temporal value, yet they gained everything that could be gained; they got Jesus.

If the price still seems too high for you, that’s okay; you don’t have to pay it. You don’t have to risk everything and follow Jesus. You can continue life as you know it, acquiring more and achieving greater and greater success. You can pile up cash, purchase expensive toys and take exotic vacations. You can absolutely live your life totally devoid of anything to do with Jesus and thereby not risk losing everything you now possess. That’s great news, right? Here’s the problem. By refusing to risk it all, you are guaranteed to lose everything. This truth is spelled out very plainly in Scripture (Matthew 16:24, 25). If you are not willing to risk it all, you are assured of losing everything. You can gain all that this world has to offer and in the end it will be taken from you, you’ll be stripped naked, and you will be left alone. You will suffer an eternity that is absent of God, absent of love, and absent of redemption. You will lose it all because you were unwilling to risk everything for the person and cause of Jesus Christ. This is reality, and it is your future if you continue down the path the world chooses. What will you decide?

The risk of following Jesus is nothing compared to the certainty of not following. We can risk it all and thereby gain everything. Or, we can play it safe and lose it all. These are the two choices that we have in life, there is nothing else. You can’t risk a little and hope to gain a little in return, perhaps just enough to guarantee your comfort. It simply doesn’t work this way. Jesus said that if you are not for Him then you are against Him (Matthew 12:30). What is the greater risk, to give your life to Christ or to stand in opposition to Him? I assure you if you oppose the God of the universe, you will lose every time. It’s a no win situation, so why would you even want to go there? You can’t keep putting off your choice, because today may be the last day that you have the opportunity to choose. None of us has any guarantee of tomorrow (James 4:14). You must make the choice today, and it affects more than the rest of your life; it affects your eternity. Again I ask, what will you decide? Will you play it safe and hope for the best, and by doing so lose everything you have and all hope for salvation? Or will you risk it all, throwing yourself with abandon into the mission of Christ, no matter the cost, and gain life? The price is great and the risk is heavy, but the reward is beyond measure.

On Being Extraordinary

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If you are like me, you aren’t content to simply follow Jesus; you want to do it in a big way and live a life that brilliantly reflects the love of God. We want to be extraordinary. Following in the footsteps of Christ is a very difficult task that at times seems nearly impossible. How then could we ever hope to live a life that goes above and beyond that to which He has called us? I was listening to one of my mentors this morning, the late Jim Rohn, and he said that the key to being extraordinary was to do ordinary things extraordinarily well. You’ve probably heard that in some form before, but the wisdom in this advice is quite sound. We don’t need to be superstar performers or super spiritual ascetics to live our lives way beyond measure. We simply need to do the little things we can do with great care and enthusiasm, in ways that exceed the wildest expectations of others.

Sometimes simply going about our day with a smile on our faces will be far beyond what anyone expects. We live in a dour, cynical world and when someone favors us with a smile it is often unexpected and always appreciated. Think back to the last time a stranger gave you the gift of a friendly smile; did it not lift your spirit in an inexplicable manner? This is such a small task, one that anyone can accomplish, yet it can have such a profound impact on not only the one to whom you give the gift, but also on your own disposition. Smiling releases endorphins and serotonin, our built in natural wonder drugs that make us feel happier and more relaxed. A calm, vibrant person becomes more naturally attractive to others and this affords us the opportunity to both reflect and share the love of Jesus with others. Simply by smiling you’ve gone from an average Christian to an evangelist; how extraordinary!

When you offer help to someone in need, don’t be content to stop at the obvious problem at hand. Show genuine love to that person, and offer to spend a few more minutes helping them with something else. How often do you have a thirty second conversation with someone and then move on, content that you have fulfilled your socially polite duties? Have you ever had the experience of saying “Good morning!” to someone and had them respond with a “Fine, thanks”? We have these pre-programmed conversations that we utilize automatically when we come across a casual acquaintance in a hallway or supermarket. What if we took the effort to disengage our auto-pilot and spend two minutes of actual conversation with that person instead of the obligatory thirty seconds? Would that person not realize that you were genuinely interested in them and perhaps eventually begin sharing their heart and struggles with you? Now you have created an opportunity to speak love into their life and help them begin a healing process that might very well lead them to devoting their life to Christ. All this takes is an additional ninety seconds of your time. By sparing ninety seconds each day to engage someone in meaningful conversation, you just might fulfill the command of Christ to make a disciple. Ninety seconds; that’s extraordinary!

Being extraordinary for Jesus is not a task that is beyond us; it is simply a matter of looking at the ordinary things we do every day, and finding ways to do them better than before. These small, incremental changes will compound to have a dramatic effect on the life you live for Christ. As you build momentum by focusing on the previously mundane aspects of your walk, you will find simply following Jesus is not enough; now you must pursue Him with an intense devotion and unbridled passion because a little of Jesus leaves you thirsting for so much more. This is a life that is far from ordinary; seek it and you will find that you can indeed be extraordinary in your service to Christ.

Who Defines You?

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Napoleon Hill once wrote that “it seems to be human nature for people to live up to the reputation others give them”. I’m confident you would agree with that statement. We have all seen people who have been repeatedly told they were “good for nothing” and they end up living passive lives, far below their true potential. Conversely, I’ve seen people of very ordinary talent achieve extraordinary things simply because they were surrounded by people who believed in them and told them they would succeed. I’m often drawn back to a lyric by John Lawry which states simply that “we are what we are, and that’s what we allow”. We are affected by the voices around us, and quite often we allow ourselves to be defined by the opinions of others. I have read of countless doctors and lawyers, people who are successful by the standards of society, who are actually miserable because they are living a life created for them by the expectations of others rather than a life based on their own passions. Those to whom you listen will have a profound impact on the way you live, so it is vital to choose carefully who you allow to speak into your life.

As followers of Jesus, the person to whom we should listen to most is Christ Himself. Only He can tell us exactly who we were created to become. Regardless of what others may say, only He knows our true potential and capabilities. He has placed gifts and passions within each of us that are as unique as snowflakes and as personal as fingerprints. No one else possesses the beautiful mixture of talents and abilities that reside within each one of us. For too long we have listened to voices other than Jesus that have caused us to hide, bury, or even discard pieces of whom we are. We become broken, discouraged and in possession of a self image that is anything but the truth. There is hope, however, because the damage is not fatal. We can choose to begin to reassemble the pieces at any time in our lives. We need only to stop listening to the world around us, and instead turn our attention to the voice within.

Not one person is here by accident. We are all created with a soul that longs to commune with God and to express His love to others. We begin to get in trouble when we start listening to the opinions of who others say we are. Instead of being special creations immensely loved by God, we become societal failures who contribute little to society. Instead of being victors and overcomers we choose to believe we are losers who can never get ahead. We are living up to a reputation ascribed to us by others. Why would we choose to believe what imperfect, selfish and jealous people say about us rather than accept the words of the One who created us? We are marked by God, created to do good things, to reflect His glory to the very ones who try and drag us down. We need to stop listening to those who only wish to make us feel inferior so that they might feel better about themselves. Instead, we need to listen to the One who loves us more than His own life.

It is a well researched fact that you will become like those with whom you choose to associate. We all choose to whom we will listen, but these choices need not be permanent; we can choose at any moment to disassociate with the naysayers and begin to listen to the One who created us. If you’re going to live up to a reputation that someone else gives you, make sure the one you are listening to is God. If you change who you listen to, you will change yourself. Change yourself and you just might change the world.