Even If i Walk Alone

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

Discipleship

Glory in Shame

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Reading through the third chapter of Philippians, I came across a phrase that stopped me in my tracks. Paul writes, “their glory is in their shame” (Philippians 3:18-20). I thought about how much this is true of society today, and how much this has been true in my life. We tend to take pride in things God hates. What you achieve or gain on earth does not impress the Lord. You’ll earn no extra points in Heaven because of your mental, physical, or emotional conquests. The only thing impressive to our King is how much we love and obey Him.

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If we’re going to glory in anything, it should be in our devotion to Christ. Yet, when talking with friends and family, how much of our conversation centers on what we are learning from the Lord? How much time do you spend detailing your obedience and surrender to God and your willingness to die for Him? We glory in what is shameful and ignore what is glorious.

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Focus

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As we go through life accumulating stuff and accolades, we would do well to heed the words of the Apostle Paul. He said everything he had gained in this world was garbage. Whatever things he had acquired or prestige he received, none of it counted for anything (Philippians 3:7-8). I dare say we’ve not accomplished anything close to what Paul accomplished in his life.

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But while we cling to our possessions and honors, Paul dismissed his. He did so because he knew nothing compared to the eternal love and beauty of Jesus. Paul understood what it meant to devote one’s life to Christ. Jesus was not an interesting diversion for Paul. Jesus was his life. Can we claim such singleness of purpose and focus in our lives?

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Devoted to Christ

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There is a word in the Bible that causes much controversy these days because of its modern English connotation. The word is “slave” and depending on what translation you read may also be translated as servant or bondservant. Given the tensions of our day, the term servant is more palatable than the word slave, but we must recognize when the Bible uses the word, it often does not mean the same thing as it does to us today. For example, in Philippians 1:1, Paul refers to himself and Timothy as slaves of Christ.

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This is not to be construed as anything negative, but as something to which we should all aspire. The Greek word for slaves here is δοῦλος (douloi), which means “pertaining to a state of being completely controlled by someone or something”1Louw, J. P., & Nida, E. A. (1996). Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament: based on semantic domains (electronic ed. of the 2nd edition., Vol. 1, p. 471). New York: United Bible Societies.).. Given that definition, I definitely want to be a slave to Jesus. I want my life to be devoted to Christ.

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    Louw, J. P., & Nida, E. A. (1996). Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament: based on semantic domains (electronic ed. of the 2nd edition., Vol. 1, p. 471). New York: United Bible Societies.).

Train in Godliness

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In 1 Timothy 4:7-8, Paul exhorts Timothy to train in godliness. That’s a good plan for our lives. Not only is it scriptural, but it is also a necessity in the life of a disciple of Jesus. What better way to spend our days than training in godliness? Each of us devotes our lives to something. We all know what that is for us. It’s where we spend our time, energy, and money.

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And if we aren’t spending those resources on learning more about God and doing the things He commands us to do, what’s the point? What is the measure of our life? But if we spend our resources to train in godliness, we will live a life worth living. We will hear God say to us, “Well done, my good and faithful servant” (Matthew 25:23).

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No Exceptions

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One thing I love about the Bible is also the same thing that makes me uncomfortable. It’s the fact there are no exceptions to the commandments of God. We don’t get to rationalize about our sin to help us feel better about ourselves. Jesus said He is the way, the truth, and the life, and the only way to have eternal life (John 14:6).

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He didn’t say He was a way; He said He was the way. No exceptions. Jesus didn’t leave any loopholes when He said if we love Him, we will obey Him. He didn’t say we will often obey. He simply said we would obey Him. The implication is we will spend our lives living in obedience to Christ. No exceptions.

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