Even If i Walk Alone

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

The Beauty of Our God

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Today I asked God to spend the entire day in His presence. It then occurred to me how absurd this request was. We would not last a single moment in His presence. He is too holy, too overwhelming. We have become numb to the glory of God. We ask to be in His presence without realizing we, in our sinfulness, would immediately perish. The truth is, we’ve made God too small and too normal.

Beauty of Our God,humility,passion,beauty,Isaiah 53:2,no appearance that we should desire Him

While we acknowledge He is higher than everything, we have not even begun to understand His height or depth. We have seen but a glimpse. Or have we? If we had, we would be terrified, and we would be transformed. But we are not terrified of our sinfulness, nor have our lives been yet transformed to look like Jesus.

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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.

a higher standard,discipleship,priorities,mission,love,Colossians 3:23-24,work unto the Lord,James 1:27,true religion,I Corinthians 13:6-7,love hopes all things,Matthew 25:31-46,sheep and goats,

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.”

living in obedience,commitment,discipleship,obedience,purpose,love,Mark 12:29-30,greatest commandment,Matthew 7:13-14,narrow way,John 14:15,if you love me,John 14:21-24,obey my commands

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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