Even If i Walk Alone

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

Archives for August 2020

A Higher Standard

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Maybe it’s just me. You won’t find it explicitly in the Bible, and I will be the last to add anything to the Word of God. Still, it appears it is at least implied that disciples of Jesus should live their lives held to a higher standard. After all, our model is none other than Jesus Christ. How could we help but live dramatically different lives than those around us? It’s what He did.

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We too easily surrender to the malaise of Western Christianity and forget the purpose of our lives. Our mission is to tell everyone the good news of Jesus. It’s to look after the orphans, widows, sick, impoverished, and imprisoned (James 1:27; Matthew 25:31-46). And we are to do these things with excellence (Colossians 3:23-24).

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Uncertain

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Everyone seems to use the term “uncertain times” these days. It’s not as if any time has ever been certain. There are always new challenges to face and tough decisions to make. When life seems uncertain, we can take great comfort in knowing our God is never uncertain and always in control. Those aren’t just nice platitudes, but definite truths based on who He is. God is the same today as He has always been and will always be (Hebrews 13:8).

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There’s a steadiness to Jesus that brings peace to our hectic and crazy world. While we encounter situations every day where we have no idea what to do, Jesus always knows the perfect response. He has a plan for every contingency of every contingency. We serve a steady God, One who is never overwhelmed.

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Be the Church

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In a time when “going to Church” has become challenging in many places, perhaps it’s the perfect opportunity to revisit why we “go” to church anyway.  The Church Jesus established was in the hearts of His followers. Jesus didn’t instruct us to go to church; He told us to be the Church. How are we doing with that?

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Looking around my Country I see levels of hate, distrust, and violence unprecedented in my lifetime. I can’t help but feel we are squandering a massive opportunity to reach a hurting world with the love of Jesus. Many of the churches in my area have gone strangely quiet. There have thankfully been a few exceptions, but mostly, it feels as if the church has gone underground.

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Living in Obedience

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Because of my Scottish heritage, I think I’m biased towards Scottish thinkers and writers. One of my favorites is Andrew Murray, a minister in the 1800s. Murray was a devoted disciple who left many soul-searching and convicting books as his legacy. As I was reading some of his writing this week, I saw this: “The Father in heaven asks, requires, and expects all of His children to give Him whole-hearted and entire obedience all day long, every single day.”

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It seems like a daunting task, but then I suppose if it was easy, we would find many more joining us. If it was easy, the path would be wide instead of narrow (Matthew 7:13-14). No, following Jesus is not the easy path in life, but it is the only one worth following. And if we will brave this path, we must understand it requires our obedience to Jesus every step along the way.

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The Real Test

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For a couple of decades, my passion was playing the drums. Like many kids of my era, I dreamed of playing on the biggest stages and touring the world. During those days, my musical hero was Neil Peart, the drummer and lyricist for the band Rush. I modeled everything I did after him, and his writing continues to influence my style to this day. While there are no indications Neil had a relationship with Jesus, he said and wrote many wise things that can apply to our Christian walk.

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I was reminded recently of something he once said: “The real test of a musician is playing live.” In an age where there is no shortage of teaching and preaching, it is important to remember the real test of a disciple comes from how we live. As James, the brother of Jesus said, we must be doers not just hearers of the Word (James 1:22).

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