Even If i Walk Alone

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

Archives for July 2024

Focus and Discipline

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The continuing decline of morality and abandonment of God in our culture and churches highlights the need for focus and discipline in our lives. We need to reorient our minds to embrace a complete focus on God while disciplining our actions and endeavors to reflect our devotion to Christ. Otherwise, we are no different from those who don’t know Jesus.

focus,discipline,commitment,priorities,focus and discipline

We are called to be different, to live lives that are set apart from the world (Romans 12:2). As we observe the downward spiral of humanity, we gnash our teeth and shake our heads and fists, but we never see ourselves as part of the problem.

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Cultural Christianity

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I am seeing a lot of talk these days around what is called “cultural Christianity”. The term has been around for a long time, although sometimes taking on different names such as “nominal Christianity”, or even “carnal Christianity”, but it always manifests in the same way. A so-called “cultural Christian” is one who either grew up in a Christian home, or was at least exposed to the teachings of the Bible, and still leans toward those life principles they remember from their youth.

cultural Christianity,commitment,discipleship,surrender,salvation,God's Kingdom,fear,awe,works,Kingdom of God

Many who identify as cultural Christians walked away from all things Christianity but are returning to its tenets later in life. There are two important things we must know about cultural Christianity: first, there is no Biblical basis for it, and second, it is rare for those professing such a belief to place their faith in Jesus Christ.

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Finding Joy

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Do you find yourself a little less joyful these days than you have been in the past? Life seems harder than it used to be, civility is difficult to find, and decorum seems to be a relic of the past. From news reports and social media to common experiences in our everyday lives, the world is teeming with anger, despair, and outright evil. It’s understandable we may experience a lack of joy in such a world.

finding joy,commitment,discipleship,fear,passion,priorities,joy

Against this backdrop, we must reconcile our feelings with the Apostle Paul’s admonition to rejoice in the Lord always (Philippians 4:4). Considering these words, how and where can we go about finding joy and peace for our souls in these dark days? I assure you that hope is not lost and indeed, if we are faithful, joy will come again tomorrow (Psalm 30:5).

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When It’s All Said and Done

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When it’s all said and done, only what we do for Jesus will remain. We understand that, right? We believe that. It doesn’t take a genius to understand we take nothing of this world with us when we die (1 Timothy 6:7). All we accumulate on earth will be stripped from us the moment we breathe our last, and probably well before then. We know that and we affirm that, but we don’t live as if it’s true.

commitment,discipleship,surrender,salvation,priorities,purpose,when it's all said and done

Instead, we spend our entire lives pursuing things we know we can’t keep (Matthew 6:19-20). We consume all our time chasing after what will be taken from us instead of devoting our lives to the One we cannot lose (Philippians 3:8). How weak and deceived must we be to live like this?

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I Hope I’m Wrong

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I hope I’m wrong. Based on what I read in the Bible, it is my conviction that those who are saved will bear the fruit of their salvation (Matthew 7:16-20). They will love the Lord with all their heart and have a deep hunger for His Word (Psalm 119:97). They will have a deep desire to keep His commandments and show an ever-increasing success in accomplishing that (John 14:15).

I hope I'm wrong,commitment,Lordship,priorities,salvation,surrender

The way I read scripture informs me those who love the Lord will put aside the things of this world and obsess over the promised Kingdom to come (Colossians 3:1-2). But I hope I’m wrong about all of that because, if it’s true, many, perhaps even most, of my friends and family might not be saved after all. Most of those I see at church each week are heading for Hell. I desperately hope I’m wrong.

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