Even If i Walk Alone

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

Revolting Beauty

Don’t Be Normal

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So much of what Christ did ran against tradition and cultural acceptance. He touched diseased people, He ate dinner with prostitutes and thieves, and He refused to conform to societal norms. Somehow we seem to have lost this part of His message. Instead we have become a people obsessed with living in a manner consistent with everyone else. We drive the same cars, wear the same clothes and talk in the same manner as those who do not know Christ. Most of us live in comfortable houses in safe neighborhoods, surrounded by people who are just like us. Arguments are made about living among those who need Jesus and in identifying with them. We use this for justification of living a life that looks no different from our neighbors. Where is the desire to follow Jesus? Where is the passion to walk along the trail that He blazed before us? We are not different; we are not living any differently than the rest of the world, and we are certainly not living the countercultural lifestyle of Jesus Christ.

Where did we lose our way and veer from the path that leads to life? When did we decide that it was simply okay to be “normal”? Jesus wasn’t normal! He lived His entire life in service to others. He endured torture and agony, the likes of which most of us will never have to endure. We are a people consumed with temporal pleasures in lieu of eternal joy. Where is the logic in this? Do we realize what we risk by refusing to live the way Jesus lived? We call ourselves followers of Jesus then continue to live our self-centered and consumptive lifestyles.

Look outside your door; take a look at the evening news. Children are starving all around us. Desperate mothers sell their own dignity because it is the only way they can afford to buy food for their children. Mentally challenged individuals struggle to find a place to sleep and a way to survive in a world that grows increasingly intolerant and brutal. Normal people shake their heads at the tragedy of it all. Jesus did not react as normal people do. He reached out, He lifted people up, and He restored hope. He roamed homeless for over three years so He would be unencumbered by the things of this world in order that He would be free to serve anyone and in any place that He saw fit. Jesus wasn’t normal. He was abnormal in every way and we are called to live a life of this same abnormality.

How are you doing? Are you living a normal life? Are you keeping up with the Jones’ while turning away from the homeless? Do you see the sick and dying all around you? Do you tend to the needs of your neighbor and serve others at every opportunity? Are you leading a normal life or a life that is defiantly weird, a life of total abnormality in terms of love and service? I’ve seen and lived what normal is; I don’t want to be there. I want to live a life of fire and passion for the One who created me, loved me and saved me. I want to demonstrate His love to everyone I meet. I want to serve anyone who is in need. I don’t want to look away or be so consumed with myself that I cannot see beyond it. I don’t want to walk on any path except that which Christ walks before me. I simply cannot, I unequivocally refuse, to live my life for any purpose but to follow Him. I don’t want to be normal.

Go the Extra Mile

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As Christians I believe we are called to live lives that are a cut above the rest of the world. I don’t mean to imply that we are somehow better than everyone else, but I do believe we are to act better than everyone else. We belong to no nation, but rather are citizens of the kingdom of God; this in and of itself should dictate that we be held to a higher standard.

A positive attitude will go a long way in setting yourself apart from the crowd. The world needs no more cynical, defeated individuals. We know Jesus; we have the antidote to a joyless existence! No matter how hard our struggles, we must always be mindful of the fact that Christ died for us. We also should always remember that no matter what’s going on in our lives, no matter how bad it may seem to us, there are millions in the world who are enduring worse things. You are blessed with life, and as long as you have that blessing, remember to be thankful for it and to smile! Smiling will make you feel physically and emotionally better. Smiling at someone else will have the same effect on them. Be the kind of person you enjoy being around. No matter the circumstance or conversation, always be positive and look for the good that is surely buried within the moment.

Jesus followed through on everything He said He would do. As His followers, we need to do the same. Whether the task is at work or at home, when we say we will do something, we need to see it through. Many are tempted to give up when what they are working on becomes difficult; do not be one of those people. Always complete the tasks you said you would complete, and complete it on or before the time you said that you would complete it. People are used to being let down by other people. You can differentiate yourself by simply following through for someone. Once you commit yourself to doing so, following through quickly becomes a habit. While it should be second nature to Christ-followers, seeing our tasks through will make us stand out in the world, thereby encouraging others to find out why we are different. Then we can tell them of the love of Christ and what He means to us.

In close relation to following through on what we say we will do, is doing everything we do with excellence. Always give more than is expected of you. Work a little harder or a little longer, don’t quit until the job is worthy of Christ Himself. Always do more than you are paid to do. You will gain a reputation among all who know you as someone who can be trusted and someone who everyone wants working for them! Again, attaining a reputation such as this will lead to many opportunities to share God’s love with others. Exceed expectations every single time. Jesus lived a life of pure excellence and I believe He demands nothing less from us. He has given us gifts and talents to do His work. With tools like these, how can our work be anything short of excellent?

Set yourself apart from the world as you serve others. Be humble as you do so, remembering you do what you do in honor of Jesus. Stay positive at all times, see all your tasks through to completion, and always give more than is expected of you. In so doing, you will demonstrate the difference that Christ has made in your life.

Compassion and Justice

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Throughout the Bible, there is a recurring theme of compassion and justice. God commands it and Jesus lived it. If we want to be emulators of Christ we need to demonstrate both compassion and justice in everything we do. Few would admit to not being either compassionate or just, but sometimes it is good to take a step back from the fray and examine our own actions.

Every day we are surrounded by opportunities to act unjustly towards one another. We make split-second judgments of people based on their outward appearance and then act in accordance with those judgments toward that person. Whether or not a person is well dressed or sloppy, clean or dirty, smells nice or not, smokes, drinks, spits, swears, etc., these all affect our opinion of that person. That opinion combined with their cultural group shifts a scale in our mind that determines how we will treat them. It makes the decision of whether we walk by without looking them in the eye, smile at them, or engage them in conversation. This is so ingrained into our society that it seems very normal. It is not normal, it is sin. It is acting unjustly toward others. God created everyone in his image; he does not discriminate between anyone. Anytime we discriminate, for any reason, we are not acting with justice. We are to treat all people the same and seek to care for their needs. In this way, acting justly leads us to live compassionately.

To live compassionately is to see the best in other people; we are to give everyone the benefit of the doubt. We need to actively seek to look beyond their outward circumstances and endeavor to empathize with them. Picture yourself in their shoes; how would you feel? Reach out to them in love. Instead of looking down on people, look at them instead through the eyes of Jesus; look at them through His perfect eyes of love. Never presume to know what someone else is going through. Instead, simply make yourself available to them. Share a smile, hold a door, give a kind word. You may be their best chance to see the love of God in action. That is why we must be compassionate to all people and at all times.

Take a look back over your day and your week. In what ways could you have acted more justly or with more compassion towards someone with whom you came into contact? Learn from your mistakes, and use them to do better tomorrow. Failing is not failure if we learn and grow from the experience. Tomorrow, and from that day forward, show justice and compassion to everyone you meet. You’ll be amazed at how good it feels.

We Are the Called

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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?

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What Breaks Your Heart?

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Bob Pierce, the founder of World Vision used to regularly pray “Let my heart be broken with the things that break the heart of God”. What an amazing attitude to seek to achieve. When we see people less fortunate than we are, what is our attitude toward them? Are you thankful that you are blessed and don’t have to live in those circumstances? Do you quickly look away before they catch your gaze and in some way obligate you to do something about their plight? Or do you perhaps say a quick prayer for them and then carry on with your day? I must admit that, at one time or another throughout my life, I have experienced all of the above reactions. On occasion, thankfully more often than not these days, I am deeply moved by their condition. I sincerely want to help, yet often find my hands and feet are slow to move and reach out to them. How different would it be if we truly saw them the way God sees them? We know from Scripture that poverty breaks the heart of our God. We know that Christ loves with the deepest of passion and that He weeps with a soul-aching sorrow. I believe His heart is broken and He weeps whenever He sees one of His creations in poverty, struggling just to get through each day. How I want my heart to break in the same way. When I see those in need, I don’t want to pass by or just be thankful that I am not in that condition; I don’t want to stop at a quick prayer or with a burdened heart. I want my heart to break apart in agony as I see one who is loved by God, and yet is hurting in our broken down world. I want to ache so badly for that person that I will give them a smile and a kind word, wrap my heart around them and discover ways I might help them. I want my heart to break for the things that break the heart of Jesus.

How about you? What is it that breaks your heart? Do you find yourself aching for those in need or is it easier to avoid those people? In James 1:27, we are told that true religion is found in caring for the widows and the orphans. In Isaiah 58:7 we are told that true fasting is to share food with the hungry, give the homeless a place to stay and clothe those who are in need. These are the things that we must do if we are to be true followers of Jesus. Look again at the things that break the heart of God: widows (as I’ve pointed out before, I believe this includes the single mothers that are so numerous in society today), orphans, those who don’t have enough to eat, the homeless and those who live in poverty. These things all break the heart of God! Do these same things break your heart? What are you doing today to help those in need? What are you going to do tomorrow? Will we continue to walk by the very ones that God is aching for us to help? We are the hands and feet of God. We are the called. We are the servants of Christ. There is no one else to do this job. How will we respond? Let us pray that our hearts would be broken by the things that break the heart of God.