Even If i Walk Alone

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

purpose

Working From the Inside Out

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As I progress through studying the Old Testament, I continue to be transfixed by the succession of Kings of Israel who did evil in the sight of the Lord, contrasted with those who did what was right. Time after time a ruler is appointed who does not follow God, only to be saved by the occasional rise to power of one who fears the Lord and does everything He commands; they did not turn to the left or to the right but followed the Lord with all their heart.

Working from the Inside Out

Photo courtesy of Sarah Vaughan

Despite years of recent history where they could see disastrous results when they turned from the Lord and favorable blessings when they followed Him, still the people continually returned to doing evil. The good kings would come to power and destroy the temples created for foreign gods, the high places that had been built up for worship, and they would put to death those who were leading others to live in a manner contrary to God’s commands. In a word, they were zealous for the Lord. [Read more…] about Working From the Inside Out

Touching the Sick

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I’ll admit it: I’m a total germaphobe. It only got worse when I married a woman who was just as bad as I am! I unequivocally hate being sick. Now I know nobody actually enjoys being sick, but I absolutely loathe it. I work hard (and pray a lot!) at avoiding sickness and germs. If someone coughs coming towards me, I will head another direction. I’ll send sick people home from work. Whatever I can do, I do it. I want no part of being ill.

All of this might be okay and simply label me as quirky (or freakish), but it doesn’t play well in light of Jesus’ command to care for the sick (Matthew 25:31-46). It fares even worse when I try and model my life after Christ and I read the stories where He actually touched the sick people. He touched those who had serious infectious diseases. I don’t even want to be in the same room as someone with a simple cold. I am absolutely fine with giving money to organizations to care for the sick, but when it gets personal, I shamefully confess I am woefully inadequate. We all have our areas of weakness, and this is definitely one of mine.

When I hear of someone in need who is sick, I know I must go to them. I generally pray for protection from illness before meeting with them and trust that God will keep me healthy so I can continue to minister to both them and others. By the time I leave, I am generally calm and believe that God will bless my effort and keep me healthy. I also know that I may indeed get sick, and I really am okay with that thought; the sacrifice is worth the pain. I would rather get sick helping someone than be healthy but accomplishing nothing for the kingdom. Mentally, I am good with all of this. Truth be told, I haven’t been sick in almost two years, so I wonder if my newfound courage in approaching the sick is a result of that or a true change in my heart. I know the Lord is working on me in this area and I truly hope that I am growing.

The point of all this is to say that we can’t pick and choose our way through the commands of Jesus in Matthew 25:31-46. The people He blesses and welcomes into His Kingdom are those who do all of these things. We can’t feed the hungry and ignore the sick. We can’t visit those in prison and turn a blind eye to the homeless. Following Jesus is an all or nothing deal, and we will all struggle with different elements of what it means to carry on the mission of Christ. God will surely stretch us in our areas of weakness and place opportunities before us where we must choose between our love for Him and our own selfish inhibitions. We need to encourage each other along the way, to pick up one who has fallen and walk with them through the trial. Ignoring an opportunity to serve Christ because it goes against our personality or lies beyond our comfort zone is not acceptable behavior for a follower of Jesus. We must allow our love for God to overshadow our fears and apprehension.

What parts of the mission cause you the most trouble? Where is God stretching you these days? Growth does not occur without stretching, so embrace the challenge and ask Jesus to give you the courage and the commitment to seize divine moments and reflect His love to another. We all have our weaknesses, but together we are stronger. Through Him we can overcome any challenge. It’s all or nothing; don’t waver in the face of discomfort or uncertainty. Pray for His grace that you might further His Kingdom and bring glory to His Name.

The Music of Your Life

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Music has always played a significant role in our society, and it has long impacted my own life. Lyrics can lift you up or bring you low; differing chords and notes can cause your mind to soar or your eyes to weep. The simple notes of a piano can invade your deepest thoughts, while the soaring wail of a guitar can pierce your soul. Beyond the strains of melody, the lyrical message of a song can move you to action or trap you in despair. Perhaps nothing has a greater influence on our mood than a song we hear on the radio or find playing in our head.

One of the most revered songwriters of the past forty years or so was John Lennon. Many people took his words almost as a gospel for their lives. Sadly, too many of us can relate to the lyrics of his 1981 song, “Watching the Wheels”. Take a look at a few lines:

“People say I’m lazy dreaming my life away”

“I’m just sitting here watching the wheels go round and round
I really love to watch them roll”

“I tell them there’s no hurry
I’m just sitting here doing time”

When I was younger, I remember relishing the words of this song. They seemed to depict such an easy going life, one without cares or worry. For followers of Jesus, however, these words are poison. They speak of a lackadaisical life, a life focused on ease and comfort. While I’m certain there are times in each of our lives when we just want to stop all the motion around us and play spectator for awhile, this is not an option if we are seriously committed to carrying out the mission of Christ. Contrast Lennon’s words with those of a more recent talented songwriter, Matthew West:

“I don’t wanna go through the motions
I don’t wanna go one more day
Without Your all consuming passion inside of me
I don’t wanna spend my whole life asking
What if I had given everything?
Instead of going through the motions”

This should be the cry of every heart that loves Jesus. We should never be content with sitting still and “watching the world go by”. Jesus called us to be people of action. His first word of what has come to be known as the great commission was, “Go”. Jesus never commanded His followers to sit still and do nothing. He commanded them to be busy doing the same work that they had seen Him doing. We are not called to be assimilated into the culture of our day; we are called to be different and to reflect the love of Christ to a dark and bitter world. We have all been created with different gifts and passions so that we might share the message of Jesus with everyone we encounter. If we are content to simply go through the motions, we will never experience the power of God in our lives and the world will be deprived of the song we have been given to sing.

Recently I have been very moved by the lyrics of another young songwriter named Josh Wilson. Here are some words from his song, “I Refuse”:

“I don’t want to live like I don’t care.
I don’t want to say another empty prayer.
Oh, I refuse to
Sit around and wait for someone else
To do what God has called me to do myself.
Oh, I could choose
Not to move but I refuse.”

I want those words to be the prayer of my life. I never want to take a pass on the things God has given me to do. As followers of Jesus we should always seek to be proactive in carrying out the mission of Christ. We already have our marching orders, it is our duty to carry them out and follow through.

What will be the song of your life? Will you be content to simply watch the world pass by in front of your eyes or will you refuse to leave the work to someone else and throw yourself into the great adventure of following Jesus? At the end of your life will you stand before God with the music of His love bursting from deep within or will you, in the words of Emerson, die with the music still in you? We all must choose to live life either as a passive spectator or an active participant being the hands and feet of Jesus. The choice is simple, the implementation is not. Don’t be content with going through the motions and simply watching the wheels go ‘round and ‘round; refuse to be idle and wait for someone else to do what God has given you to do. Share the song He has given you while there is still time to let your life sing. May the love of Jesus resonate loudly from deep within your soul; let this be the music of your life.

Finding Your Purpose

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One of the most common causes of consternation among Christians is trying to determine God’s will for their life. We’ve discussed this previously, but I was recently struck with a different take on the subject. Countless books and articles have tackled this subject, but I believe they have come at if from the wrong angle. Recently I’ve been reading Erwin McManus’ “Chasing Daylight” again, and it provided the framework for my thinking. The first thing that we need to recognize is that God doesn’t have some massive blueprint for each of our lives. Believing that God has every twist and turn in your life mapped out for you eliminates the Biblical concept of freewill. For an excellent discussion on this, I recommend “Decision Making and the Will of God” by Garry Friesen or “Divine Foreknowledge: Four Views” by Greg Boyd, William Lane Craig, Paul Eddy and James Beilby. With this as our starting point, I believe there are three steps to finding your purpose. Ask yourself the following questions:

  • What are my passions? Remember when you were younger and had visions of grandeur? We all dreamed dreams that were far bigger than ourselves and had goals of someday becoming something of note in this world. In our imaginations, we could be anything we wanted to be. As we grew older we were told that dreams were for children and we needed to focus on what we were really going to do with our lives. It seems to be the mission of those who have failed to live their dreams to quash the dreams of others as well. The passions and dreams we used to feel are what God has instilled in us. Our dreams are what make us unique from everyone else. Each of us was created for a purpose, a purpose that God carefully planted inside of us. If time and money was no object, what is it that you would most want to do? In the deepest depths of your heart, what is it that drives you? Make a note of each of your passions.

  • What are my skills? In addition to passions, God has given each of us a set of skills and gifts to be used for His Glory. People with low self esteem often disregard this question, assuming they are not good at anything and therefore have no skills. The fact is, we are indeed all gifted, we simply have not taken the time to reflect and discover all that we have to offer. Some are leaders, teachers, care-givers, good listeners, handy, a good cook or have a knack for dealing with certain age groups; the list could go on and on. Spiritual gifts and personal skills are very closely related. If you are aware of your spiritual gifts, I would encourage you to make a list of all the skills associated with that particular set of gifts. If you aren’t certain what your spiritual gifts are, there are several resources (many are free) available to help you discover your gifts. Email me at [email protected] if you would like a list.

  • Finally, ask how you can use your passions and your skills to best allow you to fulfill God’s will. Instead of asking what His will is for our life, we need to be asking how we can use our lives to accomplish His will. We know what His will is; He wills that none would perish, that none would go hungry or be treated unjustly. This is the will of God; He longs for unity and justice among all people. He commands us to love Him with all of our heart, soul and mind. He commands us to love others as much as we love ourselves, to treat them as we wish to be treated (Matthew 22:35-38). His mission for all who would follow Him is to tell everyone about His love and to demonstrate that love through our own lives. Looking back over your passions and skills, how might you utilize those to tell others about Christ or demonstrate His love to them? How could you use your passions and gifts to bring peace to a situation or to alleviate injustice or serve the poor? This is what following Jesus is all about; again, it’s not asking what His will is for our life but rather discovering how we can use our life to bring about His will.

Each person’s combination of passions and skills is unique, so it is difficult to give concrete examples in this limited space. I’d love to help anyone who struggles with determining how they can use what they have to fulfill the will of God. Leave a comment below describing your unique blend of dreams and gifts and I’ll respond with some real world ideas of how you might use them for God’s glory. If you prefer privacy, email me at [email protected]. I’d love to help. Knowing the will of God is as simple as living out His Word and reflecting His love to others; we all have been uniquely gifted to do so. Stop stressing over what it is God wants you to do with your life, and start living in the freedom of using your life to accomplish His will.

Obeying God’s Will

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Sometimes we can become paralyzed trying to figure out what it is we should do with our lives. This is largely an affliction of Western culture where the opportunities are plentiful and the aim is generally one of success. For those of us who seek to follow Christ, the dilemma is intensified by the fact that we want to live a life that is pleasing to Him. I think we can get so wrapped up in following Jesus that we neglect to take it to the level of learning from Him. If we simply follow, we will miss much of what surrounds us; but if we learn from Him, we will notice the opportunity and the beautiful ways to express His love as we go throughout our days. Our two-fold problem is determining what we should do and how we should live.

Fortunately, the Bible provides us with ample clues as to what we should and shouldn’t do. We shouldn’t kill, steal or lie (Exodus 20:1-17) but we should feed the hungry, care for the sick and seek justice for everyone (Isaiah 58:6-7). While that’s certainly not an exhaustive list, it’s a great start. If we want to live a life that reflects the love of Jesus, we will do the things He commanded us to do and steer clear of the things about which He warned us. As we pray for the change we want to see in the world in a way that aligns with His mission, we will gain clarity on what it is we should do. With this clarity comes great responsibility. Once we know what we should do, it is up to us to obediently do that work. This is where the hard part comes in. No longer can we simply sit around wondering what God’s will is for our life; now we know. Now we are obligated.

Once we recognize the things Jesus told us to do are the things we must dedicate our lives to doing, it is simply a matter of utilizing our unique blend of talents and gifts to take action. If you have a gift if playing music, perhaps you could raise money for the hungry by performing. If you are gifted in leadership, you could organize projects to feed the hungry. If you have a gift of service, you could join one of those projects and be the hands and feet of Jesus feeding the very ones who hunger. Whatever your gift, whatever your talent, as long as you are using it to do what Christ commanded us to do, you are in the will of God. You are living the adventurous life that we have been promised. It won’t be easy and it won’t always be safe, but it will be satisfying beyond measure.

Finding the will of God for your life is not difficult; it is in fact, extremely easy. We have made this simple subject extremely complex by assuming that there is a giant blueprint for our lives and that we are in constant peril of slipping off the narrow line that guides us through. God is far more interactive than that; He uniquely created each of us to collaborate with Him in carrying out His mission on earth. As long as we are seeking to do what He would do, to obey His commands and to serve Him only, He will be with us in all we endeavor. This is not a guarantee of success or prosperity, but it is a guarantee of a life well lived for His Kingdom and His glory. Nothing else matters anyway; without Jesus, there is no purpose and no point. Only He fulfills the empty gnawing in your heart; only He can bring rest to your weary soul.

Finding the will of God for your life is as simple as reading His word, praying that His will would be done on earth and then engaging your abilities to do the things He has told us to do. Your abilities may be small and seemingly insignificant, or they may be great and obvious. Regardless, Jesus can amplify and multiply whatever you bring for Him to use. Remember the boy who brought a couple of fishes and loaves of bread to Christ? (John 6:1-15) With that small gift and willingness to share it for God’s kingdom, more than 5,000 people were fed. How many might be fed through your own gifts? Never underestimate what God can do with the smallest of offerings. No matter who you are or what you’ve done, it is never too late to turn around and follow Jesus with all your heart. Surrender to Him, discover again what He has told you to do. Release your abilities to Him and watch Him miraculously bring the Kingdom all around you. This is the will of God for your life; it is there for the taking. Don’t miss it.