Even If i Walk Alone

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

Archives for September 2024

How Many Times?

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How many times have you determined to live for Christ like never before? How many times have you promised Him this time you were surrendering for real? If you’re like me, over your lifetime, it’s more times than you can count. As I’ve written before, the ugly truth is we’re as close to God as we want to be. Our commitment is as deep as we desire it to be (James 4:8).

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There is almost nothing we can control in our lives, but how we live for Jesus is something we can control. To our shame, most of us choose to spend our time and energy in pursuits other than studying God’s Word or praying (Matthew 26:41). We can rationalize and make excuses all we want, but when we look in the mirror, each one of us knows the truth.

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Anxious for Nothing

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Have you ever seen so much anxiety as we have today? We have an entire generation (Gen Z, those born between 1997-2012) that is known as “the anxious generation”. It would be difficult for anyone living in our modern world to not feel some anxiety from time to time.

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We have more hatred and political division than at any other time in our lifetimes, constant wars and rumors of wars, and an ever-growing distrust in institutions once thought to be unassailable. It’s a mess. Yet the timeless Word of God tells us to be anxious for nothing (Philippians 4:6-7). How can we reconcile this Biblical instruction with the realities we face every day?

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Stamp Eternity on My Eyes

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The great preacher, Jonathan Edwards, is credited with the quote, “Lord, stamp eternity on my eyeballs.” Whether he said those exact words, his commitment to living with an eternal perspective is evident in his preaching and many of his famous resolutions. This describes how we should live every day of our lives. There is nothing on earth worthy of our attention.

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Nothing here lasts, and we’ll take nothing from this place when we leave (1 Timothy 6:7). Our every thought, word, and deed should be with our eyes toward Heaven. Think of how your life might change if you decide to pray with Edwards, “Lord stamp eternity on my eyes.” I believe such a prayer is consistent with the teaching of the New Testament and worthy of our consideration.

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Shine Like Stars

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I am not so naïve to believe the times we live in are the darkest days in history. The evil running rampant in our world is not without precedence. Tales of the Roman Empire reveal it was-if you can believe it-even more immoral than today’s culture. The holocaust was even more sadistic than most of the evil occurring today, although recent acts of barbarism make that a close race. But without a doubt, these are the darkest days of our lifetime.

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A day does not go by without gross sinfulness making the headlines. Some of it is criminal. Most of it is becoming not just socially acceptable but societal norms. The world is turning God’s perfect design for marriage and sexuality into perversion. They are exchanging human dignity for murder when having a child is inconvenient. What is good is called evil, and what is evil is called good (Isaiah 5:20). A deep night has fallen across our world, and we must shine like stars to lead others through these dark times.

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Isn’t That Fascinating?

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One of my most influential mentors had a unique way of looking at the inevitable challenges and obstacles life brings our way. While my reaction might be one of discouragement or despair, he would look at the situation and say, “Isn’t that fascinating?” He didn’t fret or get upset, but would sit marveling in fascination. While a little cliché to say, he always saw opportunity within the dilemma. I admit to never mastering this mindset, which in some ways resembles the Apostle Paul’s admonition to rejoice in all things (Philippians 4:4).

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Just as joy can be difficult to find amid tragedy, fascination is often the furthest thing from my mind when looking at the chaos of our world. But these times are fascinating in both their level of depravity and departure from the perfect life God intends for us to live. We all will do well to shift our perspective as we look toward the future.

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