Even If i Walk Alone

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

Hypocrisy Is Useless

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Hypocrisy is useless. After all, who do you think you’re fooling? God knows your innermost thoughts. (Psalm 139:1-4; Jeremiah 17:10) You can hide nothing from Him. (Psalm 139:7-12; Proverbs 15:3) To be a hypocrite, then, means you are living your life for someone besides the Lord. And we know that is the most futile thing you can do.

Hypocrisy is only pandering to fellow sinners in hopes they may esteem you as better than themselves. You are the same as them, and perhaps a little worse because you refuse to believe that truth. That is the height of arrogance and pride. Both are detestable to our King. (Proverbs 16:5; James 4:6) So, what is the point of being a hypocrite?

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Man of Sorrows

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True disciples of Jesus seek to live a life that looks just like Jesus. Indeed, God’s Word commands us to walk just as Jesus walked, to live just as He did. (1 John 2:6; Ephesians 5:1-2) And yet somewhere along the line we got the idea that Jesus calls us to be happy. Jesus was called the Man of Sorrows. (Isaiah 53:3) Does that sound like He was living a life of happiness, health, and wealth?

Any preacher promising that Jesus wants you to live your best life now is ignorant of what the Word of God teaches. Jesus came to suffer and also promised us we would suffer in this life. (Isaiah 53:4-5; John 16:33; 2 Timothy 3:12) Following Jesus is about obedience, not autonomy; sacrifice, not accumulation. Our Lord promised to give us life to the fullest, but we won’t find that fullness until we reign with Him in His eternal Kingdom. (John 10:10; Revelation 22:1-5)

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Conformity

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The Bible has much to say about our conformity. Make no mistake, in this life you will either allow Satan to conform you to this world or allow God to conform you into the likeness of His Son. Those are the only two options. You will end up as one or the other. Of course, only one way leads to eternal life, so the choice should be easy, right? (Matthew 7:13-14; John 14:6)

If only it were that simple. We know the way we should go, but the other is enticing because it’s so much easier. Being sinful by nature, we are prone to laziness and choosing the path of less friction and pain. (Jeremiah 17:9; Romans 7:18-19) What looks to us to be an easier path is in truth the opposite.

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Circumstances Don’t Matter

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Perhaps the one thing humans do better than anything else is to rationalize. We are always looking for reasons to justify our actions, especially when we know those actions are not right in the eyes of God. It’s amazing how good we can be at convincing ourselves to believe our own nonsense. And we know it’s nonsense. We know in our hearts what is right and what is wrong because the Holy Spirit always makes it clear.

But what about the circumstances surrounding our decision? Let’s be clear about what God’s Word says. Circumstances don’t matter; obedience does. (1 Samuel 15:22; John 14:15) The only decision is whether you will listen to a holy and perfect God or your imperfect and selfish heart.

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Love Each Other

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We are only here for a little while. As long as we are, we are to show evidence of our new birth in Christ by loving one another, especially our fellow believers. God’s Word should be our life because all else will fade and die. Only God remains. If we want to live a full and rewarding life, it can be about nothing else but Jesus and being holy just as He is. (1 Peter 1:14-16)

We must walk just as Jesus walked (1 John 2:5-6) and do it in love for our brothers and sisters. (Ephesians 5:1-2; John 13:34) When we love each other, we look like Jesus and show the world we are His disciples. (John 13:35) If we can’t love our brother, how will we ever love our enemies? (1 John 4:20-21; Matthew 5:44)

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