Even If i Walk Alone

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

I John

Hate the World

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I hate the world today. It’s about time, I suppose. As long as we are enjoying the things of this world, it’s difficult, if not impossible, to devote ourselves to the Lord. Most people I’ve talked to think the era they grew up in was the best, and it’s all been downhill from there. My father grew up in the ’50s and swears it was the best time in history to grow up.

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I grew up in the ’80s, and I’d strongly propose those were the best of times. I can’t imagine anyone growing up in our current environment looking back and saying it was the best time to be alive. That’s very sad, but also very hopeful for the Church and Kingdom of Jesus Christ.

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Humility

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Most of us recognize how humble Jesus was when He walked on earth. Here was a man who never sinned, yet He didn’t avoid those who did. He was the very Son of God and He subjected Himself to the limitations of this world. Jesus had every right to boast about who He was. But He never did. It was in His authority to command everyone to serve Him, but He didn’t.

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Instead, Jesus served those who should have been serving Him. It didn’t matter. The only thing that mattered was they experienced the love of God and came to know Him. Now I remind you as His disciples, we are to walk just as Jesus walked (1 John 2:6).

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Leave Your Nets

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When you read about Jesus calling His disciples, it’s easy to overlook some important details because of the familiarity of the stories. Remember, the Bible is for savoring, not for speed-reading. Peter and Andrew were brothers and fishermen. Fishing was their life. It’s how they put food on the table and how they spent their days. James and John were also fishermen, in business with their father. Fishing wasn’t just a job for them. It was the family business.

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And yet, when Jesus passed by and called these men to follow Him, Matthew is explicit in recording that each of them immediately left their nets, boats, and family behind. They did not hesitate, and they did not look back. Jesus called, and they obeyed. Would you leave your nets to follow Jesus?

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Discernment

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Philippians 1:9-11 tells us we should never stop growing in love and discernment. The passage goes on to tell us this is important so we can approve the good things and stay away from the bad. The goal of which is to be blameless when Christ returns. All of us want to be blameless before Christ, and none of us want to be caught unaware when He returns.

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If you should fear anything in life, fear what Christ’s return will find you doing. Now, if we live our lives wholly devoted to Him, we won’t have to worry about it. If we let compromise come into our lives, who knows what Jesus may find us doing. We only get one shot to do this right.

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Love is a Decision

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Jesus commands us to love others as we love ourselves (Matthew 22:37-39). That’s even harder than it appears on the surface because loving ourselves is something almost everyone does automatically. We feed ourselves, bathe ourselves, and even work to provide a little money for ourselves. But when it comes to loving our neighbors, well, that love is a decision.

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We don’t do it automatically and it doesn’t come easy or cheap. It will cost us something. To love another means sacrificing your time, your desires, and your agenda. We abandon none of these with ease. Selfishness is something we can put on autopilot. Selflessness requires an active and repeated discipline of our will.

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