It was a typical day, and I was looking for some tunes to listen to while I went about my routine. I said, “Alexa, play something by Toby Mac.”
Next thing you know, the song “Ignition” is blaring through my house.
Even though I’ve heard this song a million times before, today, as I listened, the line about “riding or dying” for Christ jumped out of my Alexa device and into my ears.
I’d had heard this phrase before and never given it much thought, but that day it really stood out to me. So I decided to do a little research.
According to Dictionary.com, a “ride or die” is “a colloquial expression of extreme loyalty to someone or something.”
The Urban Dictionary defines it as “when you are willing to do anything for someone you love or someone you really appreciate in your life. You ride or die for the person who stood by you in any problem and vice versa.”
So basically, to “ride or die” means you will do anything for the person you love. There is nothing they could ask of you that you would not be willing to do. It means you will go to the ends of the earth for them, take risks for them, and stand by them no matter the cost. You will ride with them even if it ends up killing you. It’s a statement of extreme loyalty and devotion to someone else.
As I read this, I remembered a passage of scripture from Matthew 16:24-26:
Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?” (NIV)
To spiritually ride or die means we have to pick up our cross for Jesus.
No matter where you are or what you are facing, I believe God has a challenge for you to take in your life. He wants to ask you, “Will you ride or die with Me?”
Will you ride or die with Him if He takes your perfect life and turns it upside down?
How about if what He asks goes against the cultural norms? What if He asks to stand for something the Twitter mob won’t like?
What if He asks you to go in a completely different direction in your career or calling?
Will you commit to ride or die if He shakes your comfort zone?
What about if He asks you to take a ginormous leap of faith for Him?
Are you still willing to ride or die?
I believe that one of the key factors in being a ride or die man of God is being a man who is dedicated to God’s Word. That’s why I am so passionate about our daily Bible reading plan designed especially for men.
It is not a “through the Bible in a year” plan. Instead, we have chosen to weed through some of the “begets” and places where they count sheep and bowls and focus on designing a few chapters for you to read each day.
There are two chapters in the Bible for you to read on Monday- Saturday and a Psalm or Proverb. (I believe there is so much wisdom in these two books they deserve special attention!) Each day also has a memory verse. If you choose to read through this verse two or three times throughout your day, you will have memorized or at least be very familiar with the books of James, 1 and 2 Peter and Philippians by the end of the year.
On Sundays, we've invited our Mantour speakers to join me and write about a real-life man who decided to ride or die with Christ. Some of their stories are found in the Bible, others are historical, and some are men we’ve encountered in our own lives. These men were real guys, just like you or me. They had strengths as well as a whole lot of weaknesses and flaws. Each one of them had to make hard choices to ride or die with God. I hope their stories inspire you to make the choices they made, that no matter what they encountered, what trials they faced, or whatever God required of them, they would ride or die with Him!
To reach as many men as possible, we’re making this year’s Bible Reading plan available in digital or paperback. Whether you receive an email each day for free, or you choose a written copy, whether you work through it on your own or with a group of men, it is my prayer that this resource will inspire you to read God’s Word every day, make it a part of your routine, and develop a deep love for it. As you grow in God’s Word, I pray you, too, will accept the challenge to be a ride or die man of God.
Are you ready to go? Let’s start our journey together as we learn to ride or die with God!
--Jamie Holden
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
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