Even If i Walk Alone

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

peace

Taking Time to Breathe

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Sometimes I forget to breathe. Life comes at me so fast that I find myself leaping from one project to the next, one crisis to another, and in the midst of it all I am holding my breath and simply holding on. The daily grind of life can become so consuming that we scarcely recognize the toll it is taking on us both physically and spiritually.

We were not created for this. Jesus told us that in Him we would find comfort and rest. He didn’t promise an easy going life of safety and ease, but He did say we would find rest in Him. When was the last time you shut everything down and just rested in the presence of God? I’m one of those people who will simply never get bored. I have project lists that would stretch miles and I love to continually discover and learn new things. Being a musician I also have an equal obsession with audio, and there are very few times when the stereo or computer is not doling out an endless parade of songs in my house. Through it all I have lost the ability to thrive in silence. I’ll be honest with you, total quiet makes me a little nervous; I feel like I should be doing something. My internal engine aches to be moving on to the next action of my current project instead of sitting and basking in the lack of distraction. It is ironic that one of the most disrupting events for me is that of utter silence; I truly struggle to concentrate in that atmosphere. I have become a product of my environment rather than the balanced and vibrant person I was created to be.

I need rest; we all do. Occasionally, life will throw us a curve that will force us to take a break and reexamine our lives, to slow down and catch our breath. Whether this is due to an injury, illness, job loss or other traumatic event in your life, it’s important to recognize those times as a gift and not a curse. Sometimes in our haste we ignore the signs telling us to take a breath and God chooses to intervene and force the issue. Again, don’t rebel in these moments; understand that we all need a break to refocus our attention and retune our hearts toward Jesus and His mission.

We must all learn to become comfortable in silence. Take the time to simply stop and pray; allow yourself a moment to do nothing but listen to what God is telling you. Remember, God tends to speak to us not in some dramatic or boisterous fashion, but rather in a whisper into the stillness of our lives (1 Kings 19:11-13). When we don’t take the time to pause in our life, we miss countless opportunities that God is placing before us. Remember, we were all created to do good works for Christ (Ephesians 2:10), and if we don’t intentionally investigate what those works are, we will squander the opportunity to glorify God and reflect His love to others.

In the rush of your life, take some time to get away by yourself and reflect on all you are doing; make certain that God is the central focus of every task. In a results oriented society, it is far too easy to focus on ourselves rather than our Creator. Ask Him what it is He would have you do, and then look for opportunities to serve. Don’t miss the chance to glorify God. Remember, this was the whole of Christ’s mission, to bring glory to the Father. As followers of Jesus, this is our foremost goal. A life spent glorifying God unequivocally results in a life well lived. Don’t waste another moment being too busy to rest. Let go of everything that is filling up your life. Find a place of quiet, pray for His peace and just breathe.

Peace Be Still

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To me, there are few things that compare to sitting alone in a quiet house before anyone else is awake in the morning. The silence is calming and allows me to forget about the stress and worry of the world outside, if only for a little while. The frailty of the moment permits an intimacy with God in which I am truly aware of His presence. While I know He is always there, it is in these times that I can fully focus and experience Him. My heart quiets and the constant whirring in my brain begins to slow into a rhythmic dance with my Creator. I am awake and I am aware; it is an awesome place and a great way to start each day.

For those who do not know Christ, such a silence can be deafening. Instead of peace flooding their soul, they are instead bombarded by thoughts of loneliness, depression and despair. They feel neither the presence of God nor anyone else. Their souls are under constant attack from Satan as he feeds their fears and heightens their anguish. He gets inside their head and twists and weaves his way through their mind, depositing lies and leaving a trail of despondency in his wake. Each day the cycle continues until there is no longer any hope or reason for them to go on with their life.

What a contrast in the way two people can experience silence. To one, there is peace and solace; to the other, torment and distress. The difference between these two extremes is simply Jesus. Only He can bring quiet to the noise of life; only He can bring peace in the midst of strife, and only He can bring stillness amidst the chaos. Is it any wonder why the Bible states that having Jesus is more valuable than silver or gold? What He brings to a life is priceless and beyond comparison. His peace is available to all who will call Him Lord and give Him full control of their lives out of love for Him. It’s as simple as asking Him to dwell in your life so that you can know Him better.

With everything to gain, why do so few seek to attain His presence in their lives? I believe one reason is that we who know Christ are not reflecting His love and peace in our own lives. We get so caught up in the concerns of life that we cast a shadow over the light that shines within us. There are fewer sadder sights than a stressed out Christian. We claim to worship a God of peace and love, yet when others look at our lives they only see the same struggles that they face. If we don’t shine brightly with the joy of Christ, they will not see the attraction in following Him. Living a life that is dedicated to Jesus is very difficult, but the great paradox is that within that difficulty we find great peace and rest. If we don’t model that peace to those around us, they will see only the difficulty and take a pass on following Christ.

We’ve got to rein in our busyness and obsession with competing in a world that has rejected God as the supreme authority. We can’t live a life that claims devotion to Him and yet acts in a manner consistent with those who despise Him. When we are focused wholly on Him in everything we do, we will find great peace and stillness in our hearts. We will experience a love that cannot be explained and will find our minds exquisitely bathed in His light. Jesus calms every worry and satisfies every desire. If you would have peace, you will not find it outside of a life lived for Him. Having found such love, it is our duty and privilege to pass it along to others.

Dwell in the stillness of His love and reflect His glory to a desperate world. We are called to be the carriers of His light into the darkness. May the love of God shine humbly and brightly through you into the hearts of the least, the lost and the dying. Work tirelessly for His glory and when you falter, retreat into His arms. There you will find comfort and there you will find rest. In Him there is peace; we need only be still.

Unity and Peace

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My dad is a retired pastor (contradicted by the steady number of Sundays he continues to preach at various churches around the area!), so I have seen more than most of what goes on behind the scenes in churches. The backbiting and sniping, the conniving and planning, and the outright wickedness and lies; I’ve seen it all. Don’t misunderstand me; those engaging in these activities are always a small minority of the people attending church. This group does, however, point out how easy it seems to be for Christians to be anything but unified. There is as much discord in your typical church as there is within your typical political party. This isn’t how it is supposed to be. We are instructed to diligently seek unity. Diligence is defined as “constant and earnest effort to accomplish what is undertaken”. This is not a word that means to nonchalantly give lip service to our efforts. We must be constantly seeking unity. Unity is difficult to achieve, division is easy. It’s far less work to complain about someone else than to work towards a solution. It’s far easier to criticize the ideas of others than to present one of your own. It seems like most of our efforts result in tearing apart rather than building up. As long as we are pulling in disparate directions, our effectiveness will be significantly hindered. Cooperation yields incredible power by sheer quantity of scale. As the saying goes, “None of us is as smart as all of us.” In the same way, none of us is as strong as all of us. As Jesus Himself said, wherever two or three are gathered together in His name, He will be there with them (Matthew 18:20). There is great power in unity.

In Ephesians 4:3, we find the key to unity: peace. If we live in peace with one another, unity will come easily. The problem is we live in anything but peace. We are far more interested in establishing our own superiority. We want to be the one everyone else looks up to or seeks out in times of trouble. We want to be seen as the wisest and most spiritual person in our group. Whenever anyone else appears to be taking on that role, we are quick to attack them. Suddenly we see it as our duty to expose their every fault. As a result, we give them no peace, nor do we have any of our own. If we would follow Jesus then we must follow His pattern of peace. He did not react violently when violence was being inflicted upon Him; He did not reject others though they rejected Him. Instead, He chose to respond in peace and with tender love to all. He was a man of peace, consumed with a passion for God and people, but determined to demonstrate victory through love and not force. He succeeded beyond all comprehension. Jesus began the largest and most enduring movement in history without ever “firing a shot”. Jesus won the war of eternity through the use of His love and with an attitude of peace. He is all inclusive and will never berate or look down on anyone. He simply loves you, and in His love, He brings perfect peace to all who ask. Live in peace with your brothers and sisters in Christ. Diligently, and without exception, work at building unity with one another. Peace will draw us together into unity, and peace will hold that very unity together.

Are you doing all you can to live in peace and unity with all those around you? Are you living that way among your Christian brothers and sisters? It is paramount that we who profess to be followers of Jesus love one another, care for one another and seek unity in all things. The devil takes great delight in our infighting because it frustrates and hinders our effectiveness. We must remember at all times that we have a common enemy. The battle for the Kingdom is not about us, but rather about Christ living through us. The next time you are tempted to gossip, to berate or to lash out at your brother or sister, stop and ask yourself if it is the way Jesus would react. Ask yourself if your words or actions will work toward an environment of unity and peace. Take yourself out of the equation and let the peace of Christ reign among us as we live in unity for His name and His glory.

Your Mental Attitude

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Being a true follower of Christ means that our lives will be lived in such a way that others cannot help but notice. We will touch the ones that Jesus would touch, and be a servant to all. We will be filled with such passion that we will glide easily through our days, and our nights will be filled with restful sleep. This is the goal to which we aspire. How do we achieve such a state; how do we reach this level of commitment? It begins by changing our attitudes about life; we must change our personal philosophy if we are ever to achieve a close fellowship with God. Our culture has conditioned us to acquire many habits and beliefs that are simply incongruent with following Jesus. Today I want to discuss some destructive mental attitudes that will keep us from living the life we desire to live.

In Western culture in particular, we have become a very selfish people. One of the first questions we need to ask ourselves is “Do we consider the feelings of others, or are we more often concerned only with ourselves?” Take a moment to think back over your day; in fact make a habit of reviewing the day’s events each night before you go to bed. How did you treat other people? Did you put the needs of others before your own? Were you selfish in your actions, operating out of a mindset that was self-seeking? Did you behave in a manner in which you would want others to behave towards you? Jesus lived a life of service to others. He put the needs of others ahead of his own desires. How are we measuring up to the standard He set for us?

Another mental attitude we must check is our attitude toward the actions of others. Do we try and find the good in every person and in every situation, or are we quick to condemn others for their faults? It is much easier to find fault with someone rather than finding good. By finding fault we are able to mask our own shortcomings and exalt our own capabilities. Instead of operating with this mindset, what if we instead readily exposed our own faults while expressing admiration for the talents of others? Instead of finding weakness by default, let us practice the habit of praising the strengths of others as we converse with them. Instill in yourself the rule that you must offer something positive to every encounter before you allow yourself to say anything negative. Jesus lived a life in which He built up those around Him. He encouraged those without hope and brought healing to those in despair. Let us live our lives in the same manner.

Finally, what is our reaction when things go wrong, when they do not go as planned? Are we quick to find people or reasons on which to shift the blame? Do we lash out, making every excuse as to why we failed? Most do not like to be around negative people. Always placing blame on others is a very negative trait and does not lead to a winsome personality, a personality that reflects Jesus. Take responsibility for your own actions and failures. Seek solutions to the problems, learn from your failures and search for the root cause of your mistakes. What could you have done differently? Who could you have asked for help? What advice did you ignore? Always take full responsibility for yourself. Never place the blame on others because deep down we all know it is we who are to blame. By becoming constant learners and working diligently toward our goals, we will achieve them. Then we will need no one to blame. Jesus lived a life of full accountability, accepting responsibility not only for his own actions but for the actions of others as well. He is our model.

How’s your mental attitude? Are you modeling the life of Christ? Do you put the needs of others before your own? Do you seek to find the good in others rather than finding fault? Finally, do you accept responsibility for your actions or do you seek to place blame? Living a life that looks like Jesus is not easy. It requires asking ourselves some tough questions and being prepared to make the changes necessary in order to better reflect the love of God. Many will give up and say it’s too difficult. Many will refuse to change, and in so doing turn away from the One who gave His life for them. Don’t turn away; check your mental attitudes and make the necessary corrections. Diligently seek to live a life that looks like Jesus and you will find the life, the love, the peace, the rest and the joy that your soul has craved since your birth.

Preparing to Serve

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Last week we talked about not waiting around for the perfect moment to start serving Christ (see, “Life is Not a Bus Stop”). There is a flip side to this coin as well: we must be prepared to serve. If you want to help the homeless, it’s rarely a good or effective idea to head downtown and simply start handing out hotel keys. You need to understand the environment and the mentality of those you wish to serve. Jesus told us to be shrewd (Matthew 10:16) in our dealings with the world, so we need to be wise in our decisions, and utilize the gifts with which we have been entrusted.

As with any venture in life, you must prepare for success before you can achieve it. Achievement rarely falls into your lap, but rather is the result of diligence and hard work. In the above scenario, before you start a ministry to the homeless, you need to study everything you can lay your hands on that pertains to homelessness. You need to understand the psychology of the citizens of the streets and learn the rules that govern them. Pray, study, pray, read, pray; prepare your heart, mind and body for the work that lies ahead of you. Volunteer at a shelter in your city or in several cities. The point is if you are not actively engaged in the ministry for which you are gifted, you need to be preparing for the road ahead. Success comes to the diligent, and if you will prepare well, you will find great joy once your ministry begins. The goal is to glorify Christ by using the gifts He has given us. We would do well to become well versed in their usage. Someone with the gift of music doesn’t one day pick up an instrument and begin to play flawless works. No, they practice for hours on end, day in and day out. They are honing their gift, just as we all must do, regardless of what our gifts may be.

It can be easy to become discouraged during this time of sowing or practicing. It’s also easy to become frustrated when we are involved in active ministry but we aren’t seeing any tangible results. These feelings are natural. We want to glorify our King; we want to be out in the battle. It really becomes a matter of attitude. Are we seeking to glorify God or ourselves? If we truly have Christ in mind, we will patiently and positively bide our time, diligently preparing ourselves for the moment we will find ourselves thrust onto the front lines. By keeping our talents sharpened and our focus always on Jesus, we will be prepared at any moment for whatever may come our way. Remember, ministry happens every day in the interactions you have with others. Pray and study, then actively seek to apply what you have learned to your own life and in service to others. Those without Christ are always watching us, watching our attitudes. Stay positive and ready to serve Jesus at all times.

Finally, whether you are in a sowing or reaping phase, whether you are practicing or executing, do it with excellence. You represent the King and Creator of the universe. Do no shoddy work for Jesus. Remember what He gave up for you; certainly we can give no less in return! God rewards the diligent. Today’s frustration is tomorrow’s joy and triumph. Keep moving regardless of where you are in life. Take action, and do so with excellence. Read the book of Proverbs and see all the wonderful wisdom contained in that book as it pertains to diligence and work. God has uniquely gifted you for service, not for discouragement. If you will hone and use your gifts unabashedly for Him, He will use you to glorify Himself. In so doing, you will find the peace and the joy you have been seeking.

Don’t wait for divine intervention; identify and learn how to use your gifts so that you might be prepared at any moment to be the very hands and feet of God. Remember to stay focused and maintain a positive attitude when nothing seems to be working. In all you do, do it with excellence. God has supplied you with gifts for His service; He expects us to learn to use them well. God will reward those who passionately seek to serve Him. Prepare to serve, and then serve well.