Even If i Walk Alone

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

I John

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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Good News

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Do you ever wonder if there’s any good news anymore? When was the last time you turned on the television or scrolled through your social media feed and found stories celebrating kindness, happiness, good character, or high morals? Instead, we see a steady diet of hate, division, perversion, and idolatry. It’s no wonder suicide rates and depression are at all-time highs.

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Media now rules every aspect of society. It’s inescapable, and there is no doubt it has become Satan’s greatest tool. The murder and mutilation of children is not only accepted, but celebrated on the front pages of newspapers and websites around the globe. The world has lost its mind and any sense of hope is being dragged down into the pits of Hell (Romans 1:28-32).

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Cultural Christianity

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I am seeing a lot of talk these days around what is called “cultural Christianity”. The term has been around for a long time, although sometimes taking on different names such as “nominal Christianity”, or even “carnal Christianity”, but it always manifests in the same way. A so-called “cultural Christian” is one who either grew up in a Christian home, or was at least exposed to the teachings of the Bible, and still leans toward those life principles they remember from their youth.

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Many who identify as cultural Christians walked away from all things Christianity but are returning to its tenets later in life. There are two important things we must know about cultural Christianity: first, there is no Biblical basis for it, and second, it is rare for those professing such a belief to place their faith in Jesus Christ.

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When It’s All Said and Done

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When it’s all said and done, only what we do for Jesus will remain. We understand that, right? We believe that. It doesn’t take a genius to understand we take nothing of this world with us when we die (1 Timothy 6:7). All we accumulate on earth will be stripped from us the moment we breathe our last, and probably well before then. We know that and we affirm that, but we don’t live as if it’s true.

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Instead, we spend our entire lives pursuing things we know we can’t keep (Matthew 6:19-20). We consume all our time chasing after what will be taken from us instead of devoting our lives to the One we cannot lose (Philippians 3:8). How weak and deceived must we be to live like this?

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Through the Lens of Christ

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What if we lived our lives viewing everything and everyone through the lens of Christ? What if we saw others the way Jesus sees them, and only engaged in activities Jesus would engage in? How might our lives be different, and how might we impact the world for the sake of the gospel and the glory of our King? Every day, we do things to further our goals and desires.

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Humanity is nothing if not self-absorbed. From the time we wake each day, we are thinking about how we look, planning what we’ll do, and talking about ourselves to others. We live our life through the lens of what we want and we do it without even thinking about it. What if we got a bit more intentional about things and kept Christ front and center?

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