Even If i Walk Alone

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

2 Timothy

A Deeper Dive into Personal Holiness

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Anyone who is paying attention will know our churches are becoming increasingly weak and ineffective. Leadership that is lacking in theological depth and understanding is certainly rampant, but perhaps the bigger problem is the lack of personal holiness among the congregation. Although it is the pastor’s job to exposit and explain the Word each time he steps behind the pulpit, pursuing Christ on a day-to-day basis is the responsibility of every attendee.

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Without such a commitment, the finest preacher or most gifted shepherd will not be able to lead a group of believers into a deeply committed relationship with Christ. Each of us bears the responsibility of seeking to know and obey our savior better. For this reason, I want to do a brief but deeper dive into personal holiness.

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Read Slowly

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The more I study the Bible, the more I recognize when it comes to God’s Word, we should read slowly. Scripture is replete with admonitions to meditate on the words of God. Meditating and delighting on God’s instruction is a regular theme throughout the book of Psalms (Psalm 1:1-2, Psalm 19:7-14, Psalm 77:12, Psalm 119:15, Psalm 119:23, Psalm 119:27, Psalm 119:48, Psalm 119:78, Psalm 119:97, Psalm 119:99, Psalm 119:148, Psalm 143:5)

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and many other places throughout scripture (Joshua 1:8, Jeremiah 15:16, Nehemiah 8:1-3, Matthew 7:24-25, James 1:22-25, Philippians 4:8, Colossians 3:16). The Bible is not a book meant to be read like other books. We don’t read God’s Word to get through it, but to let it marinade our souls. When we read too quickly, we often miss the details and subtle nuances. There is no part of scripture we can afford to miss or gloss over (2 Timothy 3:16).

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Our Brothers and Sisters

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“Christians in other nations are not a topic about which we can be uninterested or a cause that we can occasionally champion. They are our family, our brothers and sisters for eternity,” writes Voice of the Martyrs president Cole Richards. Violence against Christians is ramping up in many nations. As the days grow shorter and evil increases, the people of God are increasingly finding themselves the target of man’s hostility.

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Because we may still have a modicum of religious freedom where we live is no excuse to forget our brothers and sisters who are suffering. We should be on our knees every day praying for their strength, perseverance, and deliverance. We must also realize that the same persecutions are coming for us, and we must be ready to stand with the same resolve as our brothers and sisters.

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Disciplined

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When it comes to self-discipline, I see myself as more disciplined than many, but less disciplined than I should be. Reflecting on my life, I find I am now more disciplined than at other times in my life and less disciplined than at others. All this to say that self-discipline is a challenge we must constantly address and perhaps never fully master.

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And yet it is key not only to a productive life but to living life in a manner that glorifies and pleases our Lord. To be disciplined in ways that do not promote our spiritual growth may be noble pursuits, but in the end, they won’t count for anything. The only discipline worth pursuing is that which brings us closer to Christ and molds us into His image.

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Stay Ready

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If we want to be ready for the Lord’s return, we must be diligent to stay ready every day of our lives. To be caught unaware when Jesus comes back should terrify us all. It’s easy for us to shake our heads at the disciples who fell asleep while keeping watch as the Lord went off by Himself to pray in the garden (Matthew 26:36-46), but are we any better?

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Are we not even more guilty of falling asleep as we await the Lord’s return? If we are not focusing our lives on serving Christ and doing the things He commands us to do, we are not staying ready. We are simply going through the motions and living as if His return is not imminent. Jesus could return before you finish reading this post. He could come before I finish writing it! If He does, will He find us ready?

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