Even If i Walk Alone

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

Hebrews

Make No Plans

by

Studying the second half of the book of Romans this month, one verse keeps poking me when I read it. Romans 13:14 says, “But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no plans to satisfy the fleshly desires.” It’s convicting because how often do we make plans to satisfy those very desires of the flesh the Lord admonishes us not to?

make no plans,discipleship,fear,God's will,priorities,purpose

We are always making plans to do something, go somewhere, or become someone. How many of those plans center on bringing or giving glory to God? If you’re like me, not many. We design almost all our plans to fulfill the desires of our flesh rather than to further the Kingdom of God. There are exceptions, of course, but that they are the exceptions should tell us we have a problem.

[Read more…] about Make No Plans

Be Transformed

by

There are many verses and phrases in the Bible that we read, but never take the time to consider what they mean. One example would be Romans 12:2, where Paul exhorts us to not be conformed to this age but to be transformed. I know we don’t understand this verse because simple observation reveals most Christians are living lives of conformity to the world rather than demonstrating any kind of transformation.

be transformed,discipleship,Hell,priorities,repentance,salvation,surrender

To be a follower of Jesus demands we abandon the way things used to be and embrace the superior way of the Father (Ephesians 4:22-24; Colossians 3:9-10). Transformation is not a one-time decision; it is a lifelong change of direction that requires a 180-degree turn in every area of our lives (Luke 9:23; 2 Corinthians 5:17). We turn from our desires and towards God’s holy plan.

[Read more…] about Be Transformed

A Living Sacrifice

by

Are you living your life as a living sacrifice to God (Romans 12:1)? It is what God commands us to do, but how many of us understand what this means, much less are doing it? Jesus gave His life for us, a perfect sinless sacrifice for every sin we have ever or will ever commit. His death was the sacrifice needed to assuage God’s wrath over our sins (Isaiah 53:5-6; 1 John 2:2; Romans 5:8-9).

a Living sacrifice,commitment,discipleship,God's will,mission,repentance,sacrifice,surrender

His sacrifice became the model for how each of us is to conduct their lives (1 Peter 2:21; Ephesians 5:1-2). We aren’t perfect and never will be. At the same time, we are called to be holy, just as He is holy (Leviticus 11:45; 1 Peter 1:15-16). There aren’t some commands of God that we can take seriously and others we can disregard. If we love Him, we will keep all His commands (John 14:15; 1 John 2:3-6).

[Read more…] about A Living Sacrifice

Without Excuse

by

When it comes to recognizing Jesus as Lord, all people are without excuse. There will be a day when each of us will face the Judge of the Universe, and none of our objections will be worth anything. No one will be able to say they were never aware of the truth about God (Romans 1:18-20). None of us will receive a stay of execution or a little more time to think things through (Hebrews 9:27-28).

without excuse,Heaven,Hell,salvation,surrender,God's Kingdom,lordship,Jesus is Lord,Jesus is King,Kingdom of God

All at once, every excuse we ever gave for rejecting Christ will be both meaningless and damning. The bold and the meek will face the same fate. The strong and the weak will bear the same weight. There is no favoritism with God (Acts 10:34-35; Romans 2:11), and each of us will give the reason we did or did not bow to Jesus as King (Romans 14:11-12; Philippians 2:9-11).

[Read more…] about Without Excuse

Violating God’s Will

by

A couple of different thoughts have been fighting for attention in my mind for the past several days. One was sparked by reading Job 28:28, where God said, “The fear of the Lord is this: wisdom. And to turn from evil is understanding.” We’ve talked about what it means to fear the Lord before (see “The Fear of The Lord”), but this verse is so clear.

violating God's will,fear,wisdom,discipleship,purpose,God's will

We could take it to mean that it is wise to fear God, which is true, and we can also understand it to be a succinct definition of what fear of God looks like: to be wise. Wisdom will keep us from violating God’s will. Which brings me to the other topic that’s been on my mind: finding God’s will for your life. I’ve also written on that topic before, and if you want a deeper dive, see, “Explaining God’s Will for Your Life.” I submit you will never understand God’s will until you develop a proper fear of His holiness.

[Read more…] about Violating God’s Will