Even If i Walk Alone

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

purpose

A Time for Reflection

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How long has it been since you did a reassessment of your life in general, and your spiritual life in particular? Study after study has shown that taking some time each day to simply think, reevaluate and plan will have a significant positive impact on your life. Those who engage in these activities, almost without exception, lead more successful and satisfied lives. The vast majority of us won’t engage in these activities even once a year, much less every day. As the saying goes, if you keep doing what you’re doing, you’ll keep getting what you’ve been getting. In other words, without reflection and redirection, growth will be excruciatingly slow at best and more than likely will be non-existent.

We all want to lead lives of excellence and feel like we’re making a difference in the world. Followers of Jesus take this to a whole different level as they seek to live a life that looks like that of Christ. One cannot achieve a Christ-like life without consistent and noticeable growth. Jesus stood out; wherever He went, people took notice. Because of the words He said and the things He did, Jesus drew attention to God and His glory. If that description does not match that of our lives, then we still have plenty of opportunity for growth. The question then becomes, “How do we achieve growth in Christ?” Finding good teachers, listening to powerful sermons or reading something challenging and encouraging are all good steps. However, head knowledge alone will not produce the radical growth for which we are looking. A relationship with God is an intimately personal relationship, so ultimately the growth we seek must come from within us and through His power.

Since the Spirit of God lives in those who trust in Him and follow Him, the power of Jesus is readily available to change you from the inside out. Reflection is a great means of tapping into this power. Take some time (fifteen minutes to an hour each day) to prayerfully look back over your day, your week and your life. In what ways have you successfully reflected the love of Jesus? In what ways have you failed to shine for Him? When have you felt the closest to God, and when have you felt the furthest away? What have you done that made you feel like you were successfully following after Him and what have you done that resulted in you falling away? Examine your answers honestly; this is only between you and God. It is often helpful to write down what you discover so in the future you can more easily look back over your life. After gathering the information, plan out your next day, week and month. Determine which things you need to do more of, or to what areas you need to give greater focus. By the same token, make certain you identify and cease doing those things that have negatively impacted your walk up to this point in your life. In reflecting over your past day or week, is there someone to whom you need to say “I’m sorry” and ask their forgiveness? Were there situations in which you overreacted and hurt someone else over something trivial? Go to that person and ask forgiveness. Forgive those who hurt you and realize that by so doing you are becoming more Christ-like. Perhaps nothing grows our faith more quickly than the asking for and the giving of forgiveness.

We can’t grow if we don’t know where we’ve been and who we’re becoming. Jesus often withdrew to be alone and pray. We should follow His model and use this time alone to allow Him to work in us so He might help shape us into who we were created to be. It’s a simple discipline that yields tremendous results. We take the time to get routine checkups for our dying physical bodies; is it not even more important to take the time for regular checkups of our eternal soul? Start with just fifteen minutes a day, perhaps when you first get up or right before you go to bed. Get alone with God, be still and reflect. I guarantee you will be amazed at how much this simple exercise will do to stimulate your growth. Jesus wants nothing more than for you to become who He created you to be. Take some time each day to make certain you are moving towards that goal.

Making the Most of Your Time

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Did you ever have one of those weeks where despite your best intentions, you ended up getting nothing done? I call these “lost weeks” and nothing can be more maddening for a driven, goal-oriented person like me. I suspect you too have had weeks that just passed you by without making any forward progress. The problem is that our best intentions do no not equal our best efforts. We can intend to do something all we want, but until we put effort behind the intention, then we have no action. Intention without effort is dead; it’s the same with our faith.

While letting time pass without reaching our goals or making forward progress can indeed be maddening, this same behavior is devastating to our spiritual walk. We are told in Ephesians 5:15-16 to make “the most of the time because the days are evil.” If we are not making the most of our time each day, we are allowing Satan to gain a greater foothold on our world. As we are commissioned to bring the kingdom of God to reality on earth, beating back the advances of the devil is one of our primary objectives. It’s not good enough to show up on Sundays to praise and worship with fellow believers; it’s not good enough to write a few checks in support of various ministries each month; and it’s certainly not good enough to give lip service to our commitment to Jesus Christ. Making the most of the time we have is not something we can do passively or half-heartedly. How many days do we let go by as we wallow in self-pity or simple laziness? How many days have passed since you have actively engaged in being the hands and feet of Jesus? None of us have any guarantee of living one more second on this planet. Every one of us faces the stark reality that today may be our last day on earth. This is urgent! The time to serve Christ is now because there may not be any other time available to do so. We must make the most of the time, and that time is right now!

A follower of Jesus cannot afford to have “lost weeks”. The truth is, if we are fully living our calling, we cannot even afford to have “lost minutes”. Every breath is precious to carrying out the mission of Jesus Christ. There is not a moment that He is not with you, but how many moments do we spend unaware of his presence and unconcerned or uncommitted to His work? We must be intentional people, deliberately measuring our words and our steps in order to put forth our best effort for Him regardless of our circumstances. We are the called and we are His chosen. We have committed our lives to being followers of Jesus Christ, to go wherever He might lead, and to do whatever He might have us to do. Becoming a follower of Jesus is optional; once committed, however, carrying out His mission is required.

Are you making the most of every second of every minute of every hour of your life? Do you breathe in the love of God and exhale His passion to the world around you? Are you committed to giving all that you have and all that you are to help bring about His Kingdom here on earth? This isn’t a game or a social club. Following Jesus isn’t something you do because it’s hip or cool. To be a true follower of Christ is treacherous, dirty, smelly and difficult work; it is not for the squeamish or the faint of heart. Are you ready to take up the cross of Christ and follow Him wherever He may go? Are you ready to live for Him, to die to all you have ever known, and to spend the rest of your life being the hands and feet of Jesus to a dark and lonely world? Begin today because there may not be a tomorrow for you. Love God, love people, and serve Jesus. Stay focused on His mission, making the most of the time you have.

Kicking the Christians Out

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What are you concerned with in your life? What drives you to get up each day? Who are you becoming? These questions shape our character, the essence of who we are. Over the past couple of weeks I have found myself among Christians, yet I’ve never been so frustrated or heartbroken. Call me naïve, but I used to think that Christians and followers of Jesus were one in the same. That illusion was shattered several years ago, but it has become magnified of late for me. Let me explain what I see as the difference.

A follower of Jesus is one who is passionately in love with Christ, the Son of God. They will go anywhere and do anything for Him. Their hearts are broken by the dependency of the widows and elderly, by the desperation of the single mother and by the hollow eyes of the homeless. Followers of Jesus show compassion and love to everyone they meet, doing so in the name of Jesus. They share the good news of Jesus whenever they have opportunity to do so. A true follower of Jesus is humble, thinks of others first and possesses impeccable integrity. People are drawn to them because of the light that shines from them, a light that is the very reflection of God. This is what a follower of Jesus looks like, because this is what Jesus looks like.

In contrast, a Christian appears to be one who prayed a magic prayer at some point in their life, probably went forward in a church service to proclaim their faith, and more than likely got baptized in some water. If they are a really good Christian, they then become involved in a ministry or two at their church and eventually teach a Sunday school class or become an usher. The really super Christians may even become deacons or elders in their church. Their speech, dress and attitude are always wonderful for an hour or two each Sunday. Catch them during the week, however, and you’ll find a different story. These types of people compartmentalize their life. One compartment is neatly packed with their Sunday life, while another compartment is stuffed and bursting at the seams with their lives outside of church. Even at church you will hear conversations of negativity, jealousy, rumor spreading and disenfranchisement. Ephesians 4:29 states that, “No rotten talk should come from your mouth, but only what is good for the building up of someone in need.” In verse 31 of the same chapter we see that “All bitterness, anger and wrath, insult and slander must be removed from you, along with all wickedness.” Does this sound like the folks at your church? My guess is that it does not because our Western churches are filled with Christians instead of followers of Jesus.

When I was younger, churches and towns had “revival meetings” every so often. For the uninitiated, these were generally week long meetings held in churches or tents where an out of town speaker would visit and bring a message of repentance. I must be honest, as a youngster I dreaded being dragged along to these meetings. The purpose of the meetings was to shake the local Christians awake, to remind them of their true calling, and I think, to scare the daylights out of those in attendance. Perhaps we need to start having these meetings again. Christians in our churches are in such a malaise that it’s about time that they were shaken awake and scared back to the reality of the seriousness of their choices. We need to rekindle the flame of passion for loving God and telling others about His love. We need to repent of the religion of Christianity and turn to a life of following Jesus.

Let’s kick the Christians out of our churches. Let’s not be afraid to see our numbers drop until all that’s left are true followers of Jesus. Just as He stated in Matthew 12:30, we are either for Him or against Him. A religious life of platitudes and bickering is not a life that is for Jesus. It’s not why He came, and it is not a life to which we’ve been called. These are the salt that has lost its savor; these are the lukewarm. Do everything you can to never fall into that lifestyle. Instead, renew your commitment to Jesus today; determine from this moment forward that you will follow Him wherever He goes, and that you will imitate whatever He does. God has no use for meaningless religion and neither should we. Repent, follow Jesus, love God and serve people. Surrender all that you are and become a true follower of Jesus.

Another Day, another Adventure

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Following Jesus is a lifelong adventure. You may have heard that before, but it is something I truly believe. Perhaps you aren’t the adventurous sort, or at least you haven’t been for years, and the prospect of adventure is not that appealing to you. Maybe you enjoy the safety and predictability of your life and adventure is the last thing you are looking for. Worse yet, you may be so burned out spiritually that life has become an endless string of monotony, a “holy grind”, if you will. Regardless of where you are, or what your inclinations may be, one truth remains: following Jesus with all your heart, mind and soul means you will engage in a lifelong series of adventures.

This should not frighten us, but instead it should invigorate. The life of Jesus was lived with purpose and passion. He knew exactly where He was going because He simply walked in the will of His Father. In the same way, we too can have a definiteness of purpose if we will but devote ourselves fully to following Jesus. I’m not talking about saying certain prayers, abstaining from a taboo list of activities or showing up at a church service for an hour each week. I’m speaking of an all out, unbridled, passionate pursuit of Jesus Christ. Jesus made radical statements to those who desired to walk His path. He told them He had no home and no place to sleep. He told them if they wanted to follow Him they needed to drop everything and sell everything they owned. He instructed them to forget the responsibilities of tradition and to forsake even their own families to join Him. On the surface, these are reckless statements. Followers of Jesus may have no home, no possessions, no money; they might be forced to live on the fringes of society and to be rejected by their families. What kind of plan is this? If we look a little deeper, we will see that there is indeed a method to the perceived madness, a strategy of divine proportions. Peel away the outer layer of uncertainty and you will find that everything Jesus demanded of His followers was for the purpose of leading them to a life where they had no one and nothing to depend on except Him. He told them not to worry about what they would eat or drink or what they would wear; God would provide. Herein lays the great adventure. All bets are off, and all of our plans are cast away. We throw ourselves into the love and mercy of Jesus Christ, not knowing where we are going, but trusting in Him to lead us there. To have no plan other than to devote our life to Jesus means we trade in our false sense of earthly security for eternal peace. It means we surrender our plans and dreams in exchange for freedom like we have never known. No longer will we be held back or enslaved by traditions or societal pressures. We are free to live the life we were created to live.

As with all adventure, the reward is not without its peril. Following Jesus is both difficult and dangerous. It is not for the half-hearted or the uncommitted. The work can be treacherous and heavy, but the results are both freeing and fulfilling. Jesus doesn’t promise a life of ease or security. He prayed for our safety; why would He do that if He was not fully aware of the dangers we would face? We are called to carry on His mission, and if we follow in His footsteps we should expect trials similar to what He endured. In my mind, the trials are more than worth the rewards. Trials last for such a miniscule amount of time, while God’s presence lasts an eternity. We may sacrifice a little now, but we gain a lot later; isn’t that the lure of all adventures?

Following Jesus means we always know where we are going but that we will rarely have any idea of how we’re going to get there! We can’t foresee the trials or joys that will invade our path, nor can we scarcely imagine whom we might meet or where we might travel. These very facts are what make the journey so exciting. We know where the path ends and we know who waits for us there. Everything between the then and now is simply the grand adventure of a life spent following Jesus. Today is the start of a new piece of that same adventure. Attack this day with vigor and passion, knowing that wherever it leads will be one step closer to Jesus.

The Dangers of Autopilot

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Too often when I drive to work, I end up pulling into a parking spot without remembering anything about the drive there. I know I took on-ramps and off-ramps, negotiated intersections and stoplights, yet I have no recollection of any of it. I was thinking of this phenomenon when I was in the shower this morning, because as I reached back to turn off the water, I realized I had no recollection of shampooing, conditioning or washing. Since I was certain that I had not simply stood there for the last 20 minutes getting wet, I wasn’t too concerned about being clean. The simple fact is that we often engage an autopilot of sorts for tasks we repeat regularly. Our muscle memory allows us to perform the necessary steps in the proper order to achieve the desired results. This might be okay for showering and driving (okay, maybe it’s just a tad bit dangerous for driving), but it can be detrimental to our spiritual life.

How many times have you read a passage of Scripture, and upon completion find you have no idea what you just read? This is especially easy to do with Bible stories that many of us have grown up hearing our entire lives. We know how they begin and how they end, so any mystery is pretty much nonexistent. Contrast this with those moments when you read Scripture and a new revelation all but leaps off the page at you. A passage you’ve read dozens, perhaps even hundreds of times, suddenly takes on a whole new meaning and lights you up inside. What is the difference? It’s really all in our approach and our attitude. When we pray and ask God to reveal His word to us, when we pick up the Bible with every intention of learning something new, we more often than not will find it. However, if we are simply reading out of a sense of duty or propriety, our autopilot engages and we read without comprehension. It takes focus to seek out and learn new things. Focus is hard, of course, so we often opt for the much easier autopilot course. Following Jesus is rarely easy and it is always a conscious choice. If we are serious about following Him, learning from Him, then we must be willing to put sincere effort into studying His Word with focus and intensity.

Another area where we get in trouble using autopilot is in our family relationships. Sometimes it is so much easier to live a life that looks like Jesus when we are among strangers or friends than it is when we are in our own homes. It is easy to lose focus when surrounded by those who are closest to us because we know they will love and forgive us no matter what. Suddenly our efforts to control our tongue or to maintain an attitude of service are forgotten and we revert to a life that looks like anything but Christ. Our autopilot kicks in and we mindlessly while away what should be the most important hours of our day. Jesus never let up on His concentration; He never ceased living out His mission. If we would live like Jesus, we must engage in the model He demonstrated for us. At home it will take even more work to remain focused and on mission, but the effort is more than worth it since these are the ones with whom we have chosen to spend our lives. Imagine the peace in your household if you were to model Jesus in all of your interactions. Autopilot has no place in our relationships.

Be careful not to live your life on autopilot. Jesus deserves our devotion and our full attention. I don’t want to be like the disciples who fell asleep while keeping watch with Jesus. I want to live my life fully awake and completely aware of His presence. If Jesus thought my life was worth dying for, then surely His life is worth our attention. We must not give lip service to following Christ. A true follower will stay focused and on mission with a passionate intensity. He is the lover of our souls and the Lord of our lives. Let’s take care to stay off of autopilot and to live intentionally for Him.