Even If i Walk Alone

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

purpose

Why We Don’t Utilize God’s Gifts

by

In the last blog post (see “Gifts from God”), we discussed the gifts that God has given to each one of us. A reader asked why I thought people did not use the gifts they have been given, and I felt this was worthy of a follow up post. I’d be very interested to hear some of your thoughts as well, so please leave a comment with some of the reasons you believe people do not use their gifts, or perhaps even reasons you have refrained from using your own gifts. I’m certain your comments will be useful, inspiring and thought provoking to the rest of the audience.

So what are some of the reasons people do not exercise the gifts God has given them? If we take a step back and analyze the question, it is somewhat unbelievable to conceive of the premise; we have been given gifts, talents, and abilities from the Creator of the Universe and the only thing we see fit to do with them is hide them away so no one knows! This surely is not our finest moment. When I was growing up, I remember people (mostly women) who would get a towel from Elvis Presley at his concert; they showed everyone their gift (if a sweat covered rag indeed qualifies as a gift)! They couldn’t wait to tell everyone they’d meet about this amazing item. It was displayed with honor in their homes, there for all to see. My example is somewhat frivolous I realize, but the truth remains. When someone we admire gives us a gift, we can’t shut up about it. We are compelled to use it and tell the story behind it to everyone we encounter. Yet when the King of the Universe, the one we proclaim is our Lord, gives us a gift, we hide it away to make certain no one knows about it. Why?

Fear – We are afraid people will make fun of us; we’re afraid to be labeled a Jesus freak or a fanatic. We’re afraid we’ll be cast out of our circle of friends. We’re afraid people will look down on us. There is no fear in love and God is, above all else, love. If we are fearful then we are not trusting in Him. Would you follow someone you don’t trust? Of course you wouldn’t. If you are fearful, then you are not trusting God, and so it would seem logical to conclude you are not following Him. We follow those we trust. If you would be a true follower of Christ, there can be no fear in doing so.

Time – We claim we don’t have time to use our gifts. Our society and lives have become so busy that there simply isn’t space in our life to make use of what God entrusted to us. If this is you, may I humbly suggest that your priorities are not in order? If you have time for other things, but not for God and the works He gave you to accomplish, then He is not Lord of your life. Stop kidding yourself; you are not following Jesus if you are too busy following other pursuits in life. This is dangerous and you need to surrender yourself to Him anew.

Money – Our gifts require us to spend some money, and we simply don’t have it. God equips you to do the works He designed for you. If He calls you to feed the hungry and you can barely afford food for your own family, you need to simply trust Him to provide. Use whatever you have to do what He created you to do. He’ll take care of the rest. Following Jesus means walking a path that won’t always make sense to us. We aren’t called to understand everything He commands us to do; we are called to simply do. If He is truly your Lord, you will trust Him. If you do not have the faith in Jesus to provide for your needs, then you are not truly following Christ; you are merely a spectator in the crowd.

Laziness – Following Jesus is a hard road; it requires hard work. Many times we simply don’t feel like putting forth the effort. We’d rather catch an extra hour of sleep or watch something on television. In the Western culture, it is easy to forget that there is a spiritual war being waged all around us. If you believe in Christ and in His word, you know this to be true. If we are lazy in war, we will be defeated. If we are defeated, we cannot be following Christ, because Christ is never defeated. We can get knocked down, but as long as we are following Christ, we can never be beaten. There are no timeouts in war. There is no possible way to follow Jesus in a lackadaisical manner.

Selfishness – If we were to use our gifts, we would never have time to do the things we want to do. If this is where you find yourself, you need to take a hard look at what you want to do with the life God has given you. Either Jesus is the Lord of your life or you are. Whom will you choose? Following Jesus is an all or nothing proposition; you can’t serve two masters. If you are to be a true follower of Jesus, you must give up your life as you know it. Jesus died for you; we must do the same for Him. If you would proclaim Jesus as Lord, your every aim and desire must be to do the works He created you to do.

Are you utilizing the gifts God has given to you? If not, did you find yourself in any of the excuses above? If you haven’t been using what God has entrusted to you, it’s not too late. As long as you have breath you can begin to use what God has given you to accomplish the tasks He created you to do. Not sure where to start? Drop me a line ([email protected]); I’ll help you figure it out. Not sure what to do? Start with the basics: feed the hungry; shelter the homeless; take care of the sick, the orphans, the widows and those in poverty. Be the hands and feet of Jesus. Do the work He created you to do. Utilize the gifts God has given you.

Gifts from God

by

What are you holding back from the Kingdom? I’m not speaking of something you do or have that you don’t want to give up (although those areas are certainly worth a separate discussion!). I’m talking about the things you aren’t doing, the things you could be doing but don’t. What gifts have you been given that you are keeping locked inside of yourself? What part of the body is not functioning as it should because you are choosing to not do your part?

We all have gifts, gifts that God has given to each one of us (Ephesians 4:8, 11-12). These gifts are meant to build up the body of Christ. When we aren’t using our gifts, the body cannot be fully built up. Each gift is necessary and essential (Ephesians 4:16). Some of us have talents that are meant to reach out to the lost, gifts of evangelism. This doesn’t mean you have to be a travelling preacher, it could simply mean you have been gifted to talk to your next door neighbor about Christ. Some have been gifted as prophets, people who God reveals truth to, and you are to declare that truth to a particular audience. That audience may be of one or it may be one million, the size of the audience doesn’t matter; you are simply to deliver the message. Some are called to be pastors or shepherds, people who look after and lead other believers. Still others are called to be teachers, instructing others about the good news of Jesus Christ and how to live as a kingdom believer. Finally there are those who are called to be apostles, or missionaries; these are the ones who go throughout their neighborhood, their city, their state, their country or other nations bringing the good news of Jesus Christ to any who will listen.

Each one of us can find a place within these gifts. We often make the mistake of thinking we can’t be a shepherd because we don’t have a church or we can’t be a missionary because we wear normal clothes and live in a traditional house. We need to look past the stereotypical definitions of what these words have come to mean in the Western culture. Find yourself in one of these gifts. What can you do today to use that gift? Sadly, many of us are aware of how we are gifted but we choose not to exercise the gift out of fear of ridicule, fear of criticism, or fear of giving up something we treasure. Read again the parable of the talents in Matthew 25:14-30. I am horrified by the prospect of identifying with the one who hid his talent. I shudder at the thought of being sent away from God’s presence because I chose to not use the gift He entrusted to me.

We have a choice to make. Will we play our part in His kingdom? Will we use what He placed inside of us to do something special for God? Or will we continue to live life on cruise, surviving the day only to begin again the next day? I want to live for Jesus in every way I can. I want to die knowing I have used up everything He gave me; I want to leave nothing behind. We need each part to be working toward the common goal of bringing the kingdom of God to everyone. Don’t hold anything back, but rather give everything that is within you. Don’t die with God’s gifts buried inside you. Live your calling; be the person He created you to be.

Words that Require Action

by

The topics I write about on this blog are intended to prompt action. If they are just words, or perhaps even clever thoughts, then there is no point. Reading how we should follow Christ, if left at simply reading, produces nothing. We are called to movement. We are the hands and feet of Jesus, and hands and feet are both instruments of action; they are instruments of change. Clay gripped by the hands is never the same again; neither is a soul whose has experienced our helping hands. When we walk, we end up in a place that is different from where we were before; so it is when we venture forward in love. Everything changes when we take action. Nothing changes if we simply are aware of what we should be doing.

Just as it’s easy to read and be unchanged, it is also easy to write and be unchanged. It is sad if you read these words and do nothing. It is absolutely tragic if I write the words and leave it at that. With knowledge comes responsibility. We can never claim that we were unaware of what we were supposed to do. If you don’t want the responsibility, stop reading now! Lock away your Bible and burn your books. But if you would follow Christ, if you would serve the one who gave His life for you, keep reading. Then get up and put the words into action. We are indeed the called, and to what are we called? Action! We are called to serve and love everyone with whom we come into contact. We are called to identify with the poor by sharing what we have with them. We are called to care for the orphans and widows by taking them in as one of our own family. To love and to serve cannot be passive events; both require action.

One of my favorite authors, Ken Blanchard, loves to say “None of us is as smart as all of us.” If I may take a small liberty, I propose that none of us is as strong as all of us; none of us can accomplish as much as all of us. Here is my challenge, my desperate request: take what you read here and in other writings like this and apply what you learn. Put action behind the words; be the hands and feet of the message. We desperately need each other. Let us put our hands together to accomplish much, and let us put our feet together to walk further than we ever could alone. You are not alone, and neither am I. Christianity is a team sport; it can be no other way.

Are you willing? Can I count on you? I promise that you can count on me. I will be there, holding high the flame of Christ. We all get tired, but together we can press on. So my prayer is that you will join me in actively pursuing Christ. My prayer is that I will passionately, desperately devote my life to Him and all He is, and do so with utter abandon. I want to love. I want to serve. Are you in?

We Are the Called

by

It’s easy to think of missions occurring in far off lands, probably in a sweaty jungle or on a remote island. Missionaries are special people, to be certain, bravely living out the call of Jesus. But when we personalize it a bit we tend to grow uncomfortable. We’re not missionaries, we’re just ordinary folks. Mission work is for men in animal skins and women in hand woven sweaters. Where did we ever come up with such ideas?

[Read more…] about We Are the Called

Right Time, Right People, Right Reason

by

For too long in my walk with Christ, I waited for the right moment to serve Him. Surely there would be a great clap of thunder to announce that it was now my time or perhaps people would just start showing up asking for me. Visions of grandeur, it would seem, actually have little place in the kingdom of God! Yet, through the years I have discovered I was not alone in this delusion. I have met many others who, like me, were just waiting for the right time or for the right set of circumstances before launching into their ministry for Jesus.

Waiting for the right time, it turns out, is a misnomer. Each and every moment of the day is the right time for you to serve God by serving and loving others. So if every moment is the right time, that means that every moment we spend waiting for the “right time”, is a moment wasted. By waiting for the perfect time, we are actually choosing to ignore that the perfect time is now. God calls us to serve Him now, but we argue that it would be better for us to wait. How foolish we must appear to our Holy God. How sad must He be as He watches the countless moments squandered by proud humans who claim to know better? Serve God at the right time in your life, but realize that the right time is now.

Another common problem I have lived and observed is the desire to go it alone. Surely no one else holds our same convictions, so we have no choice, right? True Christianity is all about community; it’s about coming along side our brothers and sisters and helping each other along the way. Jesus chose twelve men to walk with him every day. Paul chose to have a travelling companion whenever possible. Moses had Aaron. All through the Bible I see stories of servants of God coming along side of each other to multiply their effectiveness and to encourage each other. It’s important to surround yourself with others who are striving to live as Jesus did. When you are weak or when you fall, they will pick you up; and when they are weak and fall, you’ll do the same for them. Choose the right people to walk with you on your quest to follow Jesus.

Finally, we need to make very certain that we are serving Christ for the right reason. It’s easy to serve Christ for the feeling of self accomplishment, to build your esteem in the eyes of your church or to impress others. If we are walking in the footsteps of Jesus for any reason other than our love for Him or our desire to serve Him, we may as well stop because Jesus sees what is in our hearts. He calls us to serve Him with all of our hearts. If we have an ulterior motive we again seem to be saying that we know better. If our worship and sacrifice are not pure, they will be rejected by God. That is a terrifying thought. Serve God out of gratitude for what He did for you, and out of love for everyone around you. Do it for the right reason, or don’t bother doing it at all.

Devote your entire life to nothing less than service for the One who gave everything He had for you. The time is now, serve Him. Take others along with you on the journey and watch God multiply your ministry. Keep your heart right with God all along the way. Focus on Christ at all times. Serve God for the right reason, at the right time and with the right people.