Even If i Walk Alone

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

1 Samuel

Hope in the Darkness

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I love Psalm 37. It’s like a mini guidebook for how to live. The psalm is full of wisdom and encouragement and worthy of being read daily. Recognizing how relevant God’s Word remains today always makes me smile. We need no other proof of the divine nature of the Bible than to see how prescient and applicable the words written thousands of years ago are today. Right out of the gate, it appears King David, the author of the Psalm, is speaking directly into our world.

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He writes, “Do not be agitated by evildoers; do not envy those who do wrong. For they wither quickly like grass and wilt like tender green plants.” (Psalm 37:1-2). Our world is full of evil people, but it is an encouragement to know their plans will not last forever. God will hold them accountable for what they do. There is hope in the darkness.

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The Purpose of God’s Law

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One thing you quickly discover when studying the Ten Commandments is no one can actually keep them. Nobody. What, then, is the purpose of God’s Law? When viewed from a human standpoint, it seems cruel that God would put a standard in place that no one could ever hope to attain. The game seems rigged to assure our doom.

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Because our common ancestors, Adam and Eve, disobeyed the Lord, their sin has permeated all of creation until this day. We are born into that sin, infected by it, and hopeless to recover from its devastating consequences. It is this sin that keeps us from being able to keep God’s laws. We’re lost and in desperate need of a solution.

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What is God?

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Do you believe in God? According to a recent Gallup poll, 81% of Americans say they do. The better question is, what is it they claim to believe? Or simply, “What is God?” In another poll, Gallup found that 29% of Americans believe the Bible is a collection of “fables, legends, history and moral precepts recorded by man.” That means there is at least some overlap between those who say they believe in God and those who do not believe the Bible to be God’s Word.

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So, who or what is this God in whom they say they believe? Before asking someone if they believe in God, we should first define who or what God is. It is a given that followers of Christ believe in God. After all, Jesus is God and God is Jesus (John 10:30; John 14:10; John 17:10-11). That is who God is.

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Discouraged?

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Are you feeling tired or discouraged? Life has gotten more challenging for Christians in the West in recent years. While our brothers and sisters across the globe have long been dealing with pressures worse than we currently face, for most of us, persecution is new. Pastors in Canada are jailed simply for holding a church service. Churches in America are occasionally overrun with protesters.

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The pressure to conform to society’s ideas of wrong and right or face ostracization is rampant. This is not the world in which most of us grew up. Having spent most of our lives at ease, the time has come when our faith is being put to the test. For some, hope seems lost. But take heart; this is not the end. Your reward is coming.

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Fear God

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Why do you fear God? Perhaps a better first question to ask is, do you fear God? Scripture commands us many times to live in the fear of God (Deuteronomy 6:13; 1 Samuel 12:24; Proverbs 9:10; 2 Corinthians 5:11; Philippians 2:12-13; 1 Peter 2:17; Revelation 14:7). So, it’s not a question of whether we should, but imperative that we must. With all the sermons teaching God is love these days, it may seem a bit out of step to be talking about fearing God. Humans do not typically fear those we love.

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But God is not just someone else we love. He is the holy, righteous, and glorious Creator of the Universe, the Lord of lords, and the King of kings. God is indeed the highest expression of love. John told us this plainly in his epistle to the Church (1 John 4:8). However, we do not serve a one-dimensional God. Every emotion is magnified and perfected in Him. Thus, jealous, zealous, and righteous anger are also part of who He is. To quote Jonathan Edwards, “… it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God”.

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