Even If i Walk Alone

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

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Marvelous Light

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In a world of darkness, it is comforting to know Jesus calls us out of that darkness and into the marvelous light of His presence (1 Peter 2:9). The darkness of this world is heavy and oppressive. In contrast, Jesus tells us His burden is light and comes with an overwhelming sense of peace and joy (Matthew 11:28-30). This life has a way of wearing you down and making you tired all the time.

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It’s easy to wonder where we can find the joy Jesus promises. We know Jesus never lies (1 Peter 2:22; Titus 1:1-2; Numbers 23:19), so if we are missing out on something He promises, the reason is we’ve taken our focus off Him and are staring at our circumstances and problems. The fact we all do this doesn’t make it any less painful or wrong.

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Wasting Our Time

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I have little time for small talk and even less patience for trivial conversations. It’s not that I’m a jerk, I just have a keen awareness of how little time we have left on earth. My focus is on making the most of the time God entrusts to me (Ephesians 5:15-16). I like sports. I have political opinions. But we have to talk about things that matter, things of consequence.

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Our conversation reflects what fills our hearts (Matthew 12:34), and if what fills our hearts are things having no eternal value, we are in serious trouble. We’re wasting our time on things that are passing away instead of investing it in God’s eternal Kingdom (1 John 2:17).

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Rise Above the Hatred

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The media and our daily experience inform us hatred is on the rise and becoming the prevalent emotion in society today. Never in my lifetime has there been such division across every line: political, cultural, racial, sexual, you name it. The informed and uninformed alike dig into the trenches of their viewpoints and refuse to accept or even listen to alternative viewpoints and ideas.

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Instead of polite discourse, every conversation today seems to devolve into shouting and interruption. Whoever shouts the loudest and longest is the victor. As Christ-followers, we are called to rise above the hatred and not respond in kind (Romans 12:17-21). If we act like and look like the world, the world will never see Jesus in our lives (John 13:34-35).

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Long-Distance Eyes

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Are you feeling unsteady these days? It’s easy to feel disillusioned by everything you thought you knew when it smacks up against reality. There is so much discontent, fear, hatred, and uncertainty in our world that it takes everything we’ve got to not allow it to swallow us whole. It can be especially disconcerting for those of us who profess to trust Christ to provide everything we need, yet still have to live in a world that is coming apart at the seams.

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How can we hold fast to our faith when evil seems to win victory after victory? It’s easy to lose hope when our focus is on the here and now. Instead of eyes of immediacy, we need long-distance eyes to look beyond our current circumstances and into the eternal life that waits for us.

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Selfish Prayers

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Let me say at the outset that I believe God wants us to bring our burdens to Him. He was explicit in telling us to do so (Psalm 55:22; Matthew 11:28-30; 1 Peter 5:6-7). While this is true, I believe it’s important we don’t tip the scales too far in that direction as we spend time with our Lord in prayer. In studying the Lord’s prayer, the model He gave to us for praying, it’s important to note the words “I” and “my” never appear (Matthew 6:9-13).

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There is nothing in His prayer about our individual gain or advancement. Too often, these things are the focus of our prayers, but it’s not the way Jesus instructed us to pray. So, what is the proper focus when talking to God, and how do we avoid praying selfish prayers?

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