Even If i Walk Alone

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

commitment

Running the Race

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Paul’s letter to the Church at Corinth contains the familiar passage where he compares living life for Christ with running a race (1 Corinthians 9:24-27). It’s a great analogy not only because the road we travel is long but also because of the discipline it requires to stay on the path. Any form of athletics is by its nature a competitive process.

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Everyone who competes wants to finish first, but only one can. In some events, like a marathon, participants are content to only finish, regardless of winning or losing. Both hold lessons for us. No one runs a race without a goal, and no one achieves their goal without putting in a lot of hard work before the race ever begins.

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We Will All Face Persecution

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How can I be certain we will all face persecution? First and foremost, I know because Jesus told us we would face it (John 16:33). We need no other proof. Jesus speaks only the truth. He cannot lie and is never wrong. What you may have never considered, though, is the “why” behind Jesus’s proclamation. Jesus established the foundation here. He said the world would hate us because it first hated Him (John 15:18).

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They didn’t just hate Jesus for who He said He was, they hated everything He did. The fact many were following Him incensed them even further. So whether it is Jesus or a follower of His, the hatred of the world will burn hot. But there is still a deeper “why” behind such hatred that if we understand, I think it will help us deal more effectively with the persecution that is sure to come.

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Making People Uncomfortable

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Are You making people uncomfortable with the way you live? That may seem like an odd question until you realize Jesus made a habit of making those around Him uncomfortable. If we want to live like Jesus, shouldn’t we be less concerned with having everyone like us and more concerned with making people uncomfortable when we interact with them? I’m not certain where the goal of getting along with everyone came from, but it’s ridiculous if you think about it.

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We are called to stand out and be different (1 Peter 2:9). We are also called to be bold and proclaim the name of Jesus (Matthew 10:32; 1 Corinthians 16:13). By obeying those two commands alone, there is no way we are going to be the “go along to get along” kind of people. When we choose Jesus, we choose to ruffle more than a few feathers by the way we live.

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Revival

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Much is being said and written about revival these days. To be certain, our countries, churches, and families desperately need revival. But what does that mean? How does revival manifest itself in the life of a believer? The first thing we know is it won’t look like what the world tells us it looks like. I’d love to give you the Biblical definition of revival, but the fact is, the word is not in Scripture. The principles of revival are there, but God’s Word never speaks of “revival”.

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We do see Jesus admonishing the Church at Ephesus to return to their first love (Revelation 2:4-5) and instructing the Church at Smyrna to hold fast to the joy they once knew in serving Him (Revelation 2:9-11). We also have the words of Peter repeating the Lord’s instruction to be holy as God is holy (1 Peter 1:15-16). From a biblical perspective, then, the best definition of revival for me is to return to Christ with your whole heart, maintain the joy you once knew in following Him, and live a life worthy of His holiness.

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All We Have is Now

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I’ve gotten (and I’m sure given) some terrible advice in my life, but perhaps none so damning as what I recently overheard someone give to another. They said, “Relax. Breathe. All we have is now.” While focusing on and maximizing each moment is something I can get behind, telling someone “all we have is now” does a horrible disservice to their eternal soul.

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This brief life is not all there is. What comes next matters infinitely more than anything you or I will ever do in this life. To live as if all we have is now is to deceive ourselves and to reject God’s Word. This life is not all there is. What comes next is the reward or the consequence of how we live right now.

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