Even If i Walk Alone

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

Christmas 2014

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I confess that I have wrongly come to treasure Easter more than Christmas. The commercialization of the day that used to be exclusively for celebrating the birth of our Savior has robbed some of the fascination from this season. From late October we’re inundated with sales flyers full of fantastic buys on things we still cannot afford and rarely ever need. Songs about Santa Claus and snowmen dominate the airwaves in anticipation of a day that used to be a celebration of the love of God. Sadly, it has devolved into a stressful, frenzied time that focuses on giving to others, but perhaps more so on what we will receive.

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The Pursuit

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I can’t tell you how many times I’ve talked to people who tell me, “Well, all religions are basically the same.” When I hear that, I know that the individual has either never explored becoming a follower of Jesus or they have been subjected to some very misleading teaching. I would grant, that at their core, most religions are the same. They all involve a deity who set some standard or demands certain rules to be obeyed and then humans are left to pursue living up to that standard or following those rules. But Christianity is different.  It is the only religion that has a God that pursues humans instead of the other way around.

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Are You Denying Jesus or Satan?

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Albert Schweitzer said, “Day by day we should weigh what we have granted to the spirit of the world against what we have denied to the spirit of Jesus, in thought and especially in deed.” Every day we should consider what parts of our life we are dedicating to the spirit of this world (Satan) and which parts we are surrendering to Christ. Too much of my time, and I suspect yours as well, is given to the things of this world and not to the mission of Jesus. This isn’t a situation that is easily remedied. We have spent years buying into the lies of the devil, subscribing to cultural myths and standards, while relegating God to an unassuming place in the background.

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Live Your Life as Jesus Would Live Your Life

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“Jesus teaches you to live your life as He would live your life.” This is a quote from the book, “Flesh: Bringing the Incarnation Down to Earth”, by Hugh Halter. When I read that, I was struck by how at once the statement is so simple, yet the implications are enormous. How would Jesus live my life if He were me? What if, instead of using the miracle of the virgin birth 2,000 years ago, the way God chose to reveal Himself to the world was through my life? How would I live? What would I do? In what ways would my life be different? What if He chose to use your life?

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True Prayer

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William Barclay said that “True prayer is asking God what He wants.” Too often our prayers are driven by our own perceived needs and selfish desires instead of focusing on what God wants to do in us and through our situation. We are focused on the here and now, but God’s eyes are also on the next and the not yet. He is capable of foreseeing every possible twist and turn our lives might take, and is always making a way for us to use the gifts He has entrusted to us in a way that furthers His Kingdom and glorifies His character. While Jesus longs for our happiness, He knows the quickest route there is to steer us toward holiness.

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