Even If i Walk Alone

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

Hebrews

Persevere to the End

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Life is the ultimate dichotomy. It is both short and long, and we feel the tension between the two every day. Our time on this earth is not even a blip on the timeline of eternity. We are but a vapor that is here one moment, and gone the next (James 4:14; Psalm 103:15–16). But the time spent living in that “blip” can seem grueling and never-ending. This is true for our walk with Christ as well. Not that Jesus Himself is taxing in any way; His burden is light and we find our rest in Him (Matthew 11:28–30).

But the world makes living for Jesus one challenge after another. We must choose Christ over our sinful nature every second of every minute of every hour of every day. Sometimes it can feel like a grind. It is why so many fall away (Matthew 13:20–21), and why we are called to persevere to the end (Matthew 24:13).

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The Return of Christ

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The return of Christ necessitates that we live in ready and anxious anticipation of His coming. Woe to that person caught unawares at His return (Luke 21:34–36; 1 Thessalonians 5:2–3). His second coming has always been the plan, and Jesus made certain we understand that (John 14:2–3; Acts 1:11). What then should be our response? I like how J. C. Ryle put it:

Man thinking about the return of Christ contemplating the second coming with reverent fear and purpose in recognition of his need for salvation and discipleship

“Our plain duty then is to live always prepared for His return. Let us walk by faith and not by sight. Let us believe in Christ, serve Christ, follow Christ, and love Christ. So living, whenever Christ may return, we shall be ready to meet Him.” That sounds like a plan to me! Jesus is coming back, and we have no excuse not to be found ready (Matthew 24:44; Luke 12:40).

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No Ordinary Child

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Once upon a time in a land far away, a baby was born into a poor family. Having little money, the mother had no choice but to give birth among animals in a stable. But this was no ordinary child. No, this baby was born to be a king. Both his mother and father were of royal blood, so their child was the legal heir to the throne of their country.

The current king was so afraid of this child that he sought to kill him, but he failed thanks to angels intervening on the child’s behalf. The baby lived and grew to be a respected and admired young man, full of wisdom and knowledge (Luke 2:52). When he became an adult, he traveled throughout the land bringing hope and healing to all who would believe in him.

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The Whole Counsel of God

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The modern Church has a tendency to pick the parts of the Gospel it finds most palatable to talk about. To the contrary, the Apostle Paul preached the whole counsel of God (Acts 20:26–27). The whole counsel means the entire purpose, will, and plan of God. When we leave out part of the Gospel, we keep people from seeing and understanding it in its entirety.

We should never try to hide any part of God’s glory. That our culture finds some of the Gospel abhorrent or difficult to swallow does not overrule our responsibility to proclaim the whole truth of God’s Word. It is not up to humans to decide which parts of God’s Word are true. Only God is truth, so only He gets to say what is true (John 17:17; Isaiah 45:19).

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Strangers and Aliens

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Those who exercise the boldness and courage to proclaim the truth of the Gospel will face many trials in this life (John 16:33). For those who follow Jesus, that is reason enough to reject anyone preaching a message promising health, wealth, and peace. Jesus dispels that belief when He declares He did not come to bring peace, but a sword (Matthew 10:34).

We are strangers and aliens on earth, foreigners in every context and location in which we find ourselves (1 Peter 2:11; Hebrews 11:13). This world is not where we belong, and those who do belong here will do everything they can to harm and get rid of us. Life on the narrow path is going to be difficult (Matthew 7:13–14) and we should believe no one who says otherwise (2 Timothy 3:12).

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