Even If i Walk Alone

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

priorities

What Are You Waiting For?

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I read another great Denis Waitley quote this week: “We spend too much energy worrying about the things we want to do but can’t, instead of concentrating on doing things we can do but don’t.”  Are you so busy waiting to do something huge for Christ that you miss the little things you could be doing each day?  Do you get frustrated when looking at the accomplishments of other Christians as compared to how you perceive your own effectiveness?  It’s time we reevaluate our purpose and start seizing the opportunities that are all around us.

Fretting over the things we want to do but can’t wastes time in two ways.  First, any time spent worrying is of absolutely no avail.  Nothing about a situation changes when we worry; the only change that may occur is a negative change in your health.  Worrying causes stress, and stress is a silent destroyer of health.  Second, the time we spend thinking of those things we can’t do steals time from those things we could and should be doing.  The energy given to worrying about things we can’t do simply masks the common malady of procrastination.  We have no idea how much time we have left on this earth, but I guarantee you that none of us has enough time to procrastinate for even a moment.  Time is ticking away from each of us and we have limited time to accomplish all that we can.

There are so many things we could be doing but we don’t.  Why?  One reason is a fear of failure.  We know we are capable of doing something, but what if we fail?  What if someone laughs at us?  Do we really want to face the One we call Lord and tell Him we would have done so much more for Him but we were afraid someone would laugh at us?  One way to overcome the fear of doing something is by imagining yourself before God when He asks what you did for Him.  Will we be able to recite a list of actions we took?  Will we be able to tell Him of how we stared down our reluctance, abandoned our fear of embarrassment and just went for it?  How much better would this feel than having to hang our heads in shame over caring more about what someone else thought than what Christ would think?

Another reason we don’t seize every opportunity is because we are afraid we actually might succeed.  If we are successful, that is going to mean more responsibility, more time out of our schedule, more weight on our shoulders.  God will not give us more than we are able to handle, and He will help us carry any responsibility.  In fact, He’ll make what we’re carrying seem light as a feather.  The joy we feel from doing things for Christ will far outlast any burdens we may have to bear.

What are you not doing that you should be doing?  What are you afraid of?  Stop wasting time thinking of what you want to be doing and instead refocus that energy into things you can be doing.  Make a list of three things you can do for Christ this week… write it down!  Additionally, write down something you’ve not done simply because of your fear.  Now write down one step you will take this week to begin facing that fear, one step that will move you toward accomplishing that task.  When we focus our energy on those things we can be doing, we will find less and less time available to worry about those things we can’t.

Commitment

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Have you ever thought about the question, “How committed are you”?  We want to devote ourselves to a task, a goal, a dream and ultimately to serving Christ.  We say we are committed to doing so.  How do we measure that commitment?  How do we move it from an “it would be nice to be this way” to a “this is who I am”?

I submit that commitment is much like integrity; there are no degrees of either.  Just as a person either has integrity or doesn’t, a person is either committed or they aren’t; you can’t be partially committed.  To commit to something is to do it; to be committed to a cause is to throw your all into it.  You can’t be committed to run ten miles and quit at five.  That’s not commitment!  Marriage is a commitment.  For those who are married, what if we treated that relationship with the same “amount” of commitment that we give to other areas of our lives?  You see there’s no such thing as an “amount” of commitment.  Committing to something is to give your all, not your part.  It is closely intertwined with integrity in that what you say you will do, you do.

Now certainly if we commit to something that later proves to be a mistake, we should drop that commitment.  So if commitment means to always see it through, but it’s okay to abandon commitment when we’ve made a mistake, how do we know when it’s okay to not follow through?  That decision has to be guided by our overarching value system.  Does it align with the Kingdom mission of Christ, or worse yet, does it oppose that mission?  Let that always be your guiding principle.  Now the best idea would be to check your value system before ever making a commitment.  A commitment is a solemn vow; Jesus said to let our “yes be yes”.  Again this is the integrity issue.  If we are going to commit to something, we should be fully prepared and willing to see that commitment through to completion.  This principle will allow us to live a life according to the principles taught by Jesus.

How is your commitment to Christ?  Are you committed to following Him or are you just providing lip service?  If we claim to be committed and do not follow Him with all that we are, then we are liars and lack integrity.  To be seen as a liar and to lack integrity in our day to day lives is bad enough, but is that how we present ourselves to our Lord?  There is no such thing as being partially committed to Christ.  If we are to be committed we must throw ourselves into walking in His ways, and do so with true reckless abandon.  If we are committed to Christ, we must love everyone at all times; we must actively seek to help others, to show kindness in everything we do.  Failing does not disqualify our commitment; we often fail as we endeavor to fulfill commitments.  With each failure, we must quickly repent, dust ourselves off, get up and be about our committed purpose again.

Commit today to follow Christ.  Live your commitment by loving others, caring for their needs and giving all you have to pursue the mission of the Kingdom.  There is no half-way, no partial commitment if you should choose to follow Christ.  He demands it all; are we ready to commit to that demand?

What Might Have Been

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I believe when we die that we will have to give an account for all the things we did in our life.  That can be an appalling and dreadful thought, because my actions have most assuredly not always been good.  While the thought of this accounting can cause us to measure our words and be more thoughtful in our deeds, there is still the reality that we as human beings tend to mess up – a lot!  As daunting as the prospect of accounting for our deeds might seem, this week I have come across a thought that strikes deeper and causes even more discomfort for me:  what if each of us were forced to watch a movie of what our life COULD have been had we not wasted time and squandered opportunity?

The movie would contain scenes of the things we could have accomplished had we not been afraid or filled with self doubt, scenes of what we could have carried out if we had made the time instead of insisting we had no time.  I imagine scenes of wild achievements had we dared to pursue our dreams, magnificent performances for Christ had we only chosen to exercise our faith.  Think of the collective good we could achieve if all of us were to determine that our movie would be an empty reel of film, because we took every opportunity that presented itself and acted on it without fear.

The encouraging and horrifying fact about all this is that it is wholly within our power to write and direct this film.  It is up to each one of us to determine what we will accomplish in this life.  Will we choose a theme of selfishness, timidity, self-doubt and the like, or will we choose a life of significance, a life that leaves this world a far better place, a life of devotion to our Creator, King and Savior?  It is within our power; we have been granted the gift of freewill and can choose each day how we shall live.  Our choices combined with the power of Christ can have an impact beyond our imagination, if we will only choose to live without fear.

We must decide each day, each hour that we will no longer live in fear.  We will focus on the things we want to accomplish for Christ and for those around us.  When your life becomes consumed by service, your dreams will change to align with those of Jesus.  We will love at any cost; we will sacrifice at every opportunity.  It’s not that we don’t have time to live a life of significance, it’s that we do not choose to do so. It’s not that we’d rather be a spectator in life, it’s just we’re too lazy to get involved.

Begin today to envision the person you want to be tomorrow, next year and five years from now.  How do you want to impact the world?  How will you serve?  How will you love?  Write it all down, read it every day.  Choose to rewrite the movie of “could have been” to the story of “what we did”.  The choice is ours and ours alone.  No one will do this for you; but you can do it for the world and for the Kingdom.

Your Last Day

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Imagine that an angel appeared to you when you woke this morning.  Imagine he told you that your life would be over at midnight, and then vanished.  What would your response be?  How would you order your day?  There would be no time for any major plans, no time for that fantastic cruise to the Bahamas or to climb Mt. Everest.  With only 18 hours or less to complete your life on earth, what would be your plan?

While everyone’s actions would be different, to be sure, I believe there are many things we would all agree we would not do.  I would not spend time in any trivial conversation, just to pass the time.  I would not spend my last hours sitting and dwelling on my failures and regrets.  I would not be afraid to tell someone that I loved them, or to introduce myself to someone I always found intimidating in any way.  I would not waste a moment bickering with friends or family over inconsequential activities, or fretting about any political speeches or sitting in front of the television.  I would not worry if the house was clean or the car was washed.

What I would want to do would be to spend every possible moment with those I love.  I would want to encourage everyone I met in hopes of leaving some sort of legacy behind.  I would certainly not be afraid to speak my mind, to tell the truth regardless of the circumstance or consequence.  I would spend much of my day in prayer, preparing myself for the next stage in my life.  I would ask God to show me what I needed to accomplish on this day, to show me those I needed to speak to, and those I needed to forgive.

As I look back over my list, I am struck by the fact that the way I would live my last day on earth is the way I should be living every day on earth.  Why are we so afraid to live this way, to live out loud for Christ?  Instead we try and live quietly, under the radar, and ultimately in insignificance.  I don’t want to be quiet; I don’t want to be insignificant; I want to live loudly.  I want to live each day as if I knew it were my last.  Join me in making a joyful noise every day we live.

What If?

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What if this week were different? What if we approached tomorrow in a brand new way? What if we got so excited about doing life the way we are called to do it that we made a radical change in the way we lived? What if everything we did was done in honor of God? What if, before we go to bed tonight, we dedicated the rest of this week to Jesus? What if we didn’t stop at just words, what if we really meant it?

What if we rejected our pride and started actively seeking ways to serve others? What if we determined to love – truly love – everyone with whom we come into contact? What if we, once and for all, surrendered those things we have kept back from God? What if we stopped worrying if we had the latest electronic gadgets or the biggest TV? What if we stopped caring what kind of car we drive?

What if we skipped our own lunch and used the money to buy lunch for someone else instead? What if we took some time to speak to the homeless? What if we spared an hour to listen to someone who was hurting? What if we treated our families with the same courtesy and respect that we treat those outside of our inner circle?

What if we started living like Jesus was truly alive within us? What if we decided – right now – to set the world ablaze with the love of Christ? What if we just let go and let Him flow through us? What if we stopped being afraid and started trusting Him like we say we do? What if we started living as if nothing mattered more than pleasing Jesus?

What if this all weren’t just wishful thinking? What if we stopped asking all these questions and started to be the answers instead? What if?