Even If i Walk Alone

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

Archives for August 2021

Serving God

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Dietrich Bonhoeffer said Christianity without discipleship was not Christianity at all. Discipleship is not something to be admired in the super-spiritual, it is a requirement for every follower of Jesus. If Jesus is your Lord, you will be His disciple. You don’t find so-called “casual Christians” in places like Afghanistan, Iran, China, and so many other countries around the world.

serving God,discipleship,commitment,God's will,the church

They understand following Jesus is a call to discipleship. It is a call to die to yourself and live for Christ. If you are serious about serving God, you will spend your days learning to become His disciple. The spoils of this world will hold no appeal for you. There will be Jesus and nothing else.

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Love is a Decision

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Jesus commands us to love others as we love ourselves (Matthew 22:37-39). That’s even harder than it appears on the surface because loving ourselves is something almost everyone does automatically. We feed ourselves, bathe ourselves, and even work to provide a little money for ourselves. But when it comes to loving our neighbors, well, that love is a decision.

love is a decision,love,commitment,priorities,discipleship

We don’t do it automatically and it doesn’t come easy or cheap. It will cost us something. To love another means sacrificing your time, your desires, and your agenda. We abandon none of these with ease. Selfishness is something we can put on autopilot. Selflessness requires an active and repeated discipline of our will.

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This Generation

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I worry about this generation of believers in the West. We’ve been brought up with a gospel married with an Americanized version of Christianity that has little resemblance to what Christ taught during His time on earth. Jesus taught we would face persecution and have to endure all kinds of trouble (John 16:33; Mark 13:11-13). Many contemporary churches teach deliverance from trouble through Jesus. A number of popular ministries go even further teaching if you have enough faith, you will be healthy and wealthy.

this generation,commitment,salvation,truth,courage,Hell,mission,priorities,the church

The Bible teaches those who are in Christ will be a peculiar people, aliens and strangers in their own lands (1 Peter 2:9; 1 Peter 2:11). Our churches have taught us how to set goals, dream big dreams, and succeed, just like people in the world. We’ve traded the cross of Jesus for a life of comfort and security. What will we do when the world is no longer safe or comfortable for those professing faith in Jesus Christ?

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Follow Your Heart?

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It disturbs me that an increasing number of messages from pastors these days sound more like teachings from the personal development crowd than they do from the Word of God. We don’t go to church to learn how to be better people here on earth; we go to learn more about God and how to live and love like Him.

follow your heart,dreams,goals,surrender,discipleship,mission,God's will

Living and loving like Jesus will improve your life spiritually and mentally, but the personal development philosophies are more focused on the physical and financial side of things. The Word of God will prepare you for eternity, but pop psychology will only help you for the moment in time you will spend in this life. Self-help gurus will teach you to follow your heart. The Bible will teach you to follow Jesus.

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Orienting Our Lives Around Jesus

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Not long ago, I wrote an article on orienting your entire life around Christ. I want to develop that idea further because I’m not there yet and feel Jesus isn’t through working on me in this area. There was a time when people would spend their entire days working their farms, fields, and flocks. Survival was synonymous with life. Leisure time was a luxury rarely found. And yet, when Sunday came around, almost everyone was in church.

orienting our lives around Jesus,surrender,commitment,discipleship,priorities,

Prayers were said around the table and before bed at night. Scripture was read by the fire before turning in. The whole of life was oriented around work and God. It harkens back to the first week of creation, when God worked six days and rested on the seventh to enjoy the work of His hands (Genesis 2:1-3). It’s almost like He knew what He was doing and defining a pattern for the way His people should live. Imagine that.

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