Dana's Christian Journey

As soldiers, they have no choice but to obey their commanding officer, but these men want to follow. They have heard the stories about their leader. He fought in battles before they were born, he followed his leaders into places of danger, and with uncommon valor he often risked his life for others. This officer’s past heroics and present position now impact a whole company of young soldiers. The willingness these men have to follow their leader goes much deeper than duty.

“Endure hardship with us as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No one serving as a soldier gets involved in civilian affairs – he simply wants to please his commanding officer.” (II Timothy 2:3-4)

Our Lord will require no steps He was not willing to take. “Abandon all.” “Deny yourself.” “Pick up your cross.” What could He ask that He has not done? And is there not a purpose for sacrifice? As there was purpose for our King, so there will be purpose for His followers. We may not always understand, but by faith we persevere – believing what we have not seen, trusting what we cannot touch, and risking everything on Jesus being who He says He is. He is the One I want to follow.

This Man entered battles we don’t even fathom. Because He obeyed, the enemy has been defeated. Death came before resurrection, however, and so it is for those who want to follow. His past has impacted all mankind. He took the sins of the world on Himself. In fact, the Scripture says, He actually became sin – for a purpose. “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” (II Cor. 5:21) And there is an even deeper mystery: When He died, I died – the old me, that is. Now I am a new creation and somehow I am a part of Him. It is hard to believe sometimes, but this is God’s truth. And I had better believe what my commanding officer says.

“Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection. For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin – because anyone who has died has been freed from sin.” Romans 6:3-7

“Here is a trustworthy saying: If we died with him, we will also live with him; if we endure, we will also reign with him. If we disown him, he will disown us; if we are faithless, he will remain faithful, for he cannot disown himself.” II Timothy 2:11-13

Looking out the back of my brother’s apartment in Capetown, South Africa, one can see the majestic mountains that surround the city. One peak is within walking distance of Brian’s place, so early New Year’s Day, my brother, another younger missionary, my children, and I set off to climb a mountain.

For some reason, the mountain always looks easier to climb when you’re sitting in a chair, looking out a window, than when you’re on the actual journey. After about a half-mile walk, we reached a set of steps that led us to the beginning of the trail at the foot of the mountain. By the time I climbed those stairs, I was exhausted! How was I ever going to climb the mountain before us?

I’ll share the uncomplicated answer that helped me complete the hike. I realize this answer is simplistic, but it helped me keep going. Here it is: Take one step at a time.

My desire this year is to follow Jesus wherever He leads. When you read of His followers in Scripture, you see the Good Shepherd lead by still waters and you see Him lead through the valley of the shadow of death. Surely, when we think the mountain before us is impossible, the Lord would say, “Keep your eyes on Me and take one step at a time.”

With New Year’s Day fresh on my mind, I thought I would write about the importance of that first step. If it is not taken, there is no journey. But as I begin to think back on my life to pinpoint that first step in following Jesus, I realize my analogy is flawed. You see, I did not take the first step. Jesus did. The step He took enables there even to be a journey. Without Him, the smallest hill is impossible to climb, but because of Him, all things are possible.

Every step Jesus took on this earth reveals the secret to life. He simply listened to His Father and obeyed what He heard. And because He took that walk to Calvary, the impassable mountains of sin we all have accumulated came crashing down so a Father could receive His own. What great joy to realize the first step any of us could take toward the Father has already been accomplished in the Cross! This is why no man should ever boast of his own steps. Our journey should simply be a response to what has already been done.

How can I say “No” to the One who laid down His life for me? Jesus does not promise the journey will be easy, but He does promise to be with us. How thankful I am for the peaceful walks with the Master. But one day He may call me out of the boat into a storm that seems impossible. If I can just remember what the Lord has already accomplished and if I can have the faith to keep my eyes on Him, then, perhaps, I can even walk on water – one step at a time.

“You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:6-8