Even If i Walk Alone

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

Ephesians

Controlling My Reactions

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I struggle with controlling my reactions. When someone says something to offend me, or does something unscrupulous, or even holds an opinion diametrically opposed to my own, my reaction to those people can get me in trouble in a hurry. I want to be loving and given time to formulate my words, I do my best to say things that build people up, not tear them down (Ephesians 4:29).

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But at that moment of a split-second reaction? I don’t fare so well. I know I’m not alone in this as it’s easy to observe the way others react as well. Still, I know controlling my reactions is important to living a life that looks like Jesus.

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Doing the Work

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Without a doubt, we are saved solely by the grace of God; there is nothing we can ever do to earn our salvation (Ephesians 2:8-9). On our own, we are all disqualified from salvation, because each of us has sinned and fallen short of God’s standard for eternal life (Romans 3:23). If not for the loving grace and mercy of God, we would all be lost and without hope. Thanks to His love though, we need not despair.

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Because of His amazing grace and the sacrifice of Jesus on our behalf, we can be saved from the hopelessness of sin. We can have hope because death is not the end for those who place their faith and trust in Jesus Christ. I believe the sincerity of our faith is proven by doing the work He has given us to do (Ephesians 2:10). Our salvation is free, but it is not cheap.

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No One Gets a Pass

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I don’t know if it’s the way I’m wired, or I developed into this over time, but I am a driven and goal-oriented person. I believe I’m here for a purpose, not just to drift through life. It doesn’t even make sense to me God would create us to pass through life without intention. The apostle Paul told us we have all been created for specific work (Ephesians 2:10).

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So, even if you don’t consider yourself to be driven or goal-oriented, it’s important to understand no one gets a pass when it comes to living their lives for Jesus. Each follower of Christ is mission-bound to live with purpose and intention. It’s how Jesus lived and how we must also if we are serious about living as His disciple and patterning our lives after His.

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Great Expectations

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William Carey once said, “Expect great things from God, attempt great things for God.” This begs the question of my life and yours, “What is it we are expecting from and attempting for, God?” We know God has created us with a purpose in mind (Ephesians 2:10). Because of this, we should not live our lives without expecting to accomplish great things. Anything accomplished for the glory of God is indeed a great thing.

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Knowing God created us to do specific work means we should be attempting great things for His glory. We should never be afraid to attempt what God has placed in our hearts. Living our lives in expectation of what God will do and attempting to do great things without fear will truly lead to a life well-lived in the service of His Kingdom.

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What Really Matters

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What we live for matters. More specifically, who we live for matters. One day, each of us will die. We’ll face our Creator and be asked to give an account for our lives. We’ll have to answer the question of who and what we lived for. Make no mistake, Jesus already knows the answer to the question before you open your mouth. The truth is, we all know the answer today, and that should scare some of us to death. Life is not about being a “good” person or doing “good” deeds. Life is about God. Period.

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How closely our lives resemble that of Christ’s life has huge implications for where we will spend eternity. Don’t miss this. Don’t stop reading because you’ve heard this before. There is nothing more important at this moment than making certain you are living a life worthy of your calling (Ephesians 4:1-2).

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