Even If i Walk Alone

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

humility

Lessons from My Mother

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My mother passed away earlier this year. She was 86 years old, and if I could sum up her life in one sentence, it would be, “She loved the Lord.” Her legacy lives on in me because she taught me to love Christ and to be diligent and disciplined in studying the Scriptures. I remember multiple instances where she modeled Jesus so well that it was breathtaking.

She was not perfect, but she was committed to loving the Lord more every day of her life. I do not take for granted how blessed I am to have had such a wonderful, kind, and caring mother. Her life taught me many things, both in practice and by example. Allow me to share a few lessons from my mother with you.

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Who Are We

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Who are we to demand anything of Jesus? When He was on trial, the authorities of both the Jewish and Roman empires demanded that Jesus answer their questions and accusations against him. But He kept silent. (Isaiah 53:7) He owed nothing to these men. He was their Creator, possessing knowledge so far greater than theirs that they could never imagine. (John 1:3; Colossians 2:3)

And yet they demanded answers from Him. The creatures were questioning their Creator. (Romans 9:20) Don’t we do the same? In our prayers, we demand Jesus answer them and answer in the way we want Him to. (James 4:3) Who are we to think we can demand anything of Christ? We proclaim Him to be our Lord and then act as if He is subservient to us. (Luke 6:46)

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Vertical Prayers

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While we should be praying vertical prayers, too often we are stuck praying in a horizontal manner. I’m not speaking of the posture we assume when we pray, but the direction of the content of our prayers. There’s a stark difference between the prayers of Jesus and the way we pray. So many of our prayers focus on the people and the world around us but give little attention to the One we are speaking to.

Part of the problem is that we lack the proper realization of what prayer is. It’s not a vehicle to get all the things we desire or even need. After all, God already knows what we need before we ask. (Matthew 6:7-8) We’re not bringing Him new information, but it often seems as if we think we are.

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Unpopular

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From the earliest days of adolescence, almost everyone aspires to be popular. I never met anyone when I was younger who told me they wanted to be unpopular. As beings created in the image of God, we all desire relationship and communion with others. (Genesis 1:27; Genesis 2:18) Some personality types desire this more than others, but we all need it. In our formative years, popularity is something we crave. We all want to fit in, to be liked, and to have others respect our opinions.

Such desires don’t vanish when we finish school. It continues to resonate with us as we enter the workforce, move into neighborhoods, and develop social relationships. Even in our church communities, no one wants to be unpopular. When everyone desires something, it should set off warning bells in our minds. (Romans 12:2)

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Don’t Love This World

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One of my favorite passages in the Bible is 1 John 2:15–17. It’s not an easy or feel-good passage. I love it because of how convicting it is and how clear it is. People love to inject their own opinions and rationalizations into the Bible and, in doing so, neuter its message and strip it of its power. This passage leaves no room for any such nonsense.

It says if we love the things of this world, we don’t love God. There are no qualifiers, no exceptions, and no loopholes. The converse shows us how to navigate this life: if we love God, we will not love the things of this world. If you want to show your love for God, don’t love this world.

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