Even If i Walk Alone

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

Daniel

Show Mercy

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Jesus said, “The merciful are blessed, because they will be shown mercy” (Matthew 5:7). While not a direct command, the implication is clear: we should all show mercy. Our response to wrongs against us must not be like that of the world. Revenge should be a motivation foreign to every follower of Jesus. Each of us will suffer their fair share of injustice in this world.

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As my mother told me from an early age, “Life is not fair”. Thank God for that! Imagine if it were. As my friend Aaron Pelsue sings in his song, “Mercy,” “I deserve all the worst, yet you offer mercy.” Jesus does not exact the punishment we deserve from us, so we should not seek to right the far more trivial wrongs committed against us (Romans 12:19).

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Shine Like Stars

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I am not so naïve to believe the times we live in are the darkest days in history. The evil running rampant in our world is not without precedence. Tales of the Roman Empire reveal it was-if you can believe it-even more immoral than today’s culture. The holocaust was even more sadistic than most of the evil occurring today, although recent acts of barbarism make that a close race. But without a doubt, these are the darkest days of our lifetime.

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A day does not go by without gross sinfulness making the headlines. Some of it is criminal. Most of it is becoming not just socially acceptable but societal norms. The world is turning God’s perfect design for marriage and sexuality into perversion. They are exchanging human dignity for murder when having a child is inconvenient. What is good is called evil, and what is evil is called good (Isaiah 5:20). A deep night has fallen across our world, and we must shine like stars to lead others through these dark times.

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The Authority of Scripture

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Perhaps nothing is more foundational to our Christian faith than the authority of scripture. God reveals Himself to us through His Word, and any attempt to undermine or minimize the inspiration of God’s Word weakens our faith and conviction. We acknowledge and recognize that Jesus Christ is the author and perfector of our faith (Hebrews 12:1-2), and that the Bible is God’s Word given to us through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit to instruct us in the knowledge of who God is and the way we are to live.

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Through God’s guidance, Paul teaches us that all of scripture is God-breathed and useful for teaching and training the saints (2 Timothy 3:16-17). He did not say some scripture or even vaguely state that scripture was inspired, but made it clear all scripture is God’s Word. This means we can trust the authority of scripture over every area of our lives. From Genesis to Revelation, God’s Word is true.

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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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Feed Your Mind

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My pastor passed on some wisdom he had received from one of his college professors: “If you get it out of your heart, it won’t come out of your mouth.” His takeaway from that is to put into your heart what you want to come out of your mouth. Feed your mind with what you want to reflect. If you feed it words and images of divisiveness, hate, mistrust, and fear, what kind of person do you think you’ll become?

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What sort of words do you think will come spilling from your lips? Paul implored us to speak only words that build others up (Ephesians 4:29-32). If you constantly feed your mind with messages that tear you (and others!) down, you can never do as Paul says.

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