Even If i Walk Alone

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

2 Timothy

The Christian Life Is Not Passive

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The Christian life is not passive. We aren’t called to sit back and assume God will handle everything for us. From the beginning, our purpose has been to do the work He gives us to do. (Genesis 2:15; Ephesians 2:10) He never promises to do the work for us, but He does promise to give us the strength to accomplish all He asks. (Philippians 4:13; 2 Peter 1:3-8)

None of us are innocent bystanders. We are all guilty slaves and, as such, should live and work in obedience to our Master and King. (Romans 6:16-18; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20) To sit back and expect victory is not just lazy; it’s naïve. Jesus never takes a moment off from serving you. (Hebrews 7:25; Romans 8:34) Isn’t He worth your best effort at all times?

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The Persecuted Church

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Every November, congregations around the world take a Sunday to remember the persecuted Church. Perhaps yours did or will. Maybe you could even spearhead such a campaign with your local body of believers. Regardless of whether your church spent time remembering our brothers and sisters in chains, these brave and hurting souls should never be far from our prayers. (Hebrews 13:3; Colossians 4:2-4)

For many of those enduring persecution today, they could once worship without fear of consequence, just like most of us. It’s why we can never take our freedom to worship the one true God for granted. We can lose those freedoms quicker than most of us would ever imagine. As you pray for the persecuted, thank God for the enormous privilege of having the freedom to pray to Him and for them. (1 Timothy 2:1-2)

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Living in Sin

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Too many of us are living in sin. I’m not talking about sin happening in our lives, but sin being the pattern of our lives. We cannot love God and continue to live a life delighting in sin. (1 John 3:6-10; Romans 6:1-2) Sin is repulsive to God, and it should be repulsive to us. (Proverbs 6:16-19; Romans 12:9) It’s obvious that people indulge in sin because it is enjoyable, but how can we enjoy sin when we see what it did to Jesus?

His life was one of perfection. (Hebrews 4:15; 1 Peter 2:22) He knew no sin until He bore our sins on the cross. (2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 Peter 2:24) By accepting our sin, Jesus allowed sin to do what it always does, and it killed Him. It wasn’t someone else’s sin that killed Jesus; it was ours. (Isaiah 53:4-6; Romans 4:25)

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What God Is

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When discussing the plight of a hospitalized friend, the wife of Oswald Chambers wondered aloud, “I wonder what God is going to do.” Oswald’s reply was, “I don’t care what God does. It’s what God is that I care about.1David McCasland, Oswald Chambers: Abandoned to God: The Life Story of the Author of My Utmost for His Highest (Discovery House Publishers, 1993), 13.” Oh, that we could adopt such wisdom in our lives! How often do we advise God as to the best course of action in our prayers?

First, it’s foolish to think we have the slightest clue about how best to resolve any situation when we have such limited information of the grand scheme of everything. Second, God is going to do what God is going to do, and we should rejoice in that. (Isaiah 46:9-10; Psalm 115:3) After all, He possesses all wisdom, all knowledge, and all power and executes them all with an insatiable and inscrutable love for His children.

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    David McCasland, Oswald Chambers: Abandoned to God: The Life Story of the Author of My Utmost for His Highest (Discovery House Publishers, 1993), 13. ↩︎

Don’t Waver

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The Christian life is hard. In the best-case scenario, people will ridicule and ostracize you from social groups. (Matthew 5:10-12; 1 Peter 4:4) You will always be an outsider. (John 15:18-19; 1 Peter 2:11) Worst-case scenarios involve torture and death in gruesome manners. (Matthew 24:9; Hebrews 11:35-38) Following Jesus is not for the squeamish or fainthearted. Being a Christian isn’t for everyone. It is only for those who see Jesus as being worth any sacrifice and worthy of every kind of mockery and torture. (Luke 14:26-33; Philippians 3:7-8)

We are the few and the called, but that’s not something to be proud of. We did nothing to earn this privilege. (Ephesians 2:8-9; 2 Timothy 1:9) It is only by God’s grace that we are called to this life of service and sacrifice and ultimately to immense joy and life everlasting. (1 Peter 5:10; Titus 3:6-7) If you want to live for Jesus, take up your cross and don’t waver. (Luke 9:23-24; 1 Corinthians 15:58)

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