Even If i Walk Alone

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

forgiveness

God Hates Sin

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It’s been a long time since I’ve heard a popular pastor preach about the dangers and horrors of sin. I’ve heard a lot about time management, goal setting, self-improvement, favor, blessing, and healing. The past couple of years have seen a shift to a lot of messages around social justice, tolerance, and welcoming people into the church who are living in proud defiance of the Word of God.

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What I don’t hear is preaching on the depravity and destruction of sin. We hear God is love and forgiveness without the context of why we need His love and forgiveness. Let us be clear in our understanding: God hates sin and so must we. If sin doesn’t repulse us and drive us to our knees in repentance, the odds are better than good you don’t know Jesus as Lord and Savior.

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Casual Indifference

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I think we have the habit of not taking sin seriously enough. We all sin every day, but how much does it truly bother us? I was reading in Ezra and observed his reaction to his own sin. It says in Ezra 9:6, he was so embarrassed and ashamed of his sin he couldn’t even lift his eyes to face God. He recognized his sins and the sins of his people were higher than his head and his guilt was as high as the heavens.

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When was the last time you considered your sin like this? We are far too casual in response to our own sin. We know Jesus has paid the price for us, so no matter what we do, we’re covered. Somehow this has led us not into deeper repentance, but into casual indifference.

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The Past Doesn’t Matter

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On your journey to discipleship, it’s important to remember following Jesus is always about the next step. We aren’t concerned with where He’s leading us, we’re simply content to follow. A hallmark of discipleship is never looking back. It doesn’t matter where you’ve been, or what you’ve done. The blood, grace, and love of Jesus makes all which has come before irrelevant. We are who He says we are, and He sees only who we are becoming.

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As far as God is concerned, the past doesn’t matter. He’s not interested in what you’ve done, only in what you will do for His Kingdom.  He holds no grudges. Jesus never looks at what you’ve messed up in the past as an indicator of what you might accomplish in the future.

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Father’s Day

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As I write this, it is only a few days until Father’s Day will be celebrated here in the United States. This holiday affects people in different ways, depending on their situation or upbringing, but few are emotionless about it. For those whose fathers’ have passed away, this day probably brings mixed emotions of joyful memories and sorrowful realities. Some never knew their father, and for these there can be an ever-present emptiness.

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Unfortunately, there are those who have fathers who were abusive in one way or another and, as a result, Father’s Day is a day of bitterness. To those like myself who had good fathers who are still with them, it is a day of celebration of years past. But to all who profess Jesus as their Lord, we have something even more important to celebrate: the love of our Heavenly Father.

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A Clean Slate

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Those who know me best know I love this time of the year. A new year brings new goals, new dreams, and new prospects. As followers of Christ, we have the same opportunity every moment of our lives. No matter what we did ten minutes ago, no matter how badly we failed, we immediately get a brand new start thanks to the cleansing blood of Jesus. He is constantly making all things new (Revelation 21:5). If your life is as inconsistent as mine, this is tremendous news! We don’t have to wait an entire year to kick things off fresh. We can begin anew right here and right now.

Have you ever stopped to consider the power of Christ’s forgiveness? There aren’t many things in life where you get a “do-over”. While it’s true that once a moment has passed we have lost it forever, it is comforting to know that Jesus doesn’t give up on us because we blew an opportunity. He is infinitely patient and always forgiving. He is always willing to give us another opportunity to serve Him as long as we are truly seeking after Him. Serving God is not a one-time event, but rather a life-long string of chances to glorify Him.

While in our minds we might see a list of all our failures and missed opportunities, Jesus patiently waits with a clean slate on which to write how much He loves us. Every new moment is surrounded by His love for us. Christ wants nothing more than to see us become the person He created us to be. He roots for you every second of your life. He is your greatest cheerleader and constant companion. Because of this, our greatest goal should be to honor Him and in some small way thank Him for His infinite love and forgiveness.

What will you do with your clean slate this year? How will you serve Him better? In what new ways will you bring Him glory? If you’re a goal-setter like me, your goals should start with how you will grow in God and detail how you will seek to serve Him. I would argue that every goal you have should in some way relate to how it furthers the Kingdom of God. If you aspire to earn more money or achieve a certain status, make certain you know how you will exploit those things to glorify God and empower those less fortunate than yourself.

Don’t stumble into the New Year without a plan. You were created for a purpose, not for some sort of random wandering. God’s plans are always specific, not a collection of vague generalities. He has blessed us with grace, forgiveness, love, and a unique purpose for our lives. What will we do with those gifts? Don’t let failure get you down; dust yourself off, get up, and serve Him again. There are few gifts as great and full of possibilities as a clean slate. What will you do with yours?