Even If i Walk Alone

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

Daily Life

Ask For Wisdom

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I heard something recently that really struck a chord with me: “When you pray, don’t ask for more blessings. Ask for wisdom to use the blessings you already have.” If you are anything like me, so much (too much!) of our time in prayer is spent asking God for things we need – or at least perceive that we need. I don’t know if this malady is exclusive to American Christians, but I suspect it is not. Still, in our culture of constantly wanting more, and success being measured by what we have, it’s easy to slip into the bad habit of always asking. We need to spend more time reflecting on and utilizing the blessings God has already bestowed upon us.

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Brave

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As I was writing this morning, I was listening to Nichole Nordeman’s song, “Brave”. I actually was beginning to write on a different topic I had sketched out when the words of the chorus really hit me:

“So long status quo
I think I just let go
You make me want to be brave
The way it always was
Is no longer good enough
You make me want to be brave.”

The song goes on to say “If you believe in me, that changes everything.” Wow. When was the last time you recognized that not only does Jesus love you, but He absolutely, unequivocally, and without hesitation believes in you? He designed you to do the work He created you to do (Ephesians 2:10), and He harbors no doubt you can get it done. It doesn’t matter who hurt you in the past, let you down, held you down, or laughed in your face. The God of the Universe believes in you. Does anything else even matter? [Read more…] about Brave

Expressing Love

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love,actions,expressing love,grace vs. works,love without action,love is a verbPhoto Credit: Jeremy Brooks via Compfight cc

Love, whether it is given or received, is experienced through action. Intending to love someone is not the same as loving them. Feeling you should love someone out of guilt or obligation is not love. Neither intent nor compulsion results in love. Only through our actions are we able to demonstrate love to another. Only through the actions of another are we able to feel their love for us. We can mentally and gracefully believe that someone loves us, but unless they act out their love towards us, it simply isn’t real. If we are serious about loving Jesus, it follows that we will express that love through our actions.

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All That Is Required

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“God never wanted converts, church attenders, prisoners, or parishioners.” That’s a quote from Hugh Halter’s book, “Flesh: Bringing the Incarnation Down to Earth”. It’s probably something we all know deep inside, but it’s not the way we act. I was brought up in an environment where an extraordinary focus was placed on ‘winning others to Christ’. I was taught that my primary job in the universe was to create converts, and my secondary job was to make sure I was in church whenever the doors were open. You could certainly argue there are far worse ideals that could be instituted into a young mind. The problem is this kind of teaching doesn’t do much to create people who look like Jesus.

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Personal Excellence Begins With Discipleship

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You will never fulfill your potential in any area of life unless you first get your relationship with Christ in order. Unless you are striving to be a true follower of Jesus, nothing else you achieve or acquire will ever satisfy that gnawing emptiness inside. You will always feel like there is something more, regardless of your level of success. It is possible to win in every other area of your life, but ultimately lose everything if you aren’t putting Jesus first and living as if He is truly Lord of your life (Mark 8:36). Too often we become preoccupied with daily activities, and God is pushed from our focus. This is not a state in which we can live if we truly love Christ above all else.

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