Even If i Walk Alone

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

John

Be Unified

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As a people, we love to label, separate, and divide. We might expect this behavior from the world at large, but unfortunately, the Church seems to enjoy it as much as everyone else. This stands in sharp contrast to Jesus’ desire for us to be unified. When He prayed to His Father for us, his emphasis was on our unity (John 17:20-23).

be unified,unity,unified,priorities,mission,purpose,John 17:20-23,may they be one as we are one

He prayed we would be unified just as He and His Father were. Do you realize how close Jesus and God the Father are? They are one and the same, flowing in and around each other to the point no separation can be found. As a body of believers, we have rarely experienced a unity anything like this.

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Casual Indifference

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I think we have the habit of not taking sin seriously enough. We all sin every day, but how much does it truly bother us? I was reading in Ezra and observed his reaction to his own sin. It says in Ezra 9:6, he was so embarrassed and ashamed of his sin he couldn’t even lift his eyes to face God. He recognized his sins and the sins of his people were higher than his head and his guilt was as high as the heavens.

casual indifference,sin,forgiveness,commitment,sin,I John 2:1,Jesus our advocate,Ezra 9:6,repentance,1 Corinthians 15:58,labor not in vain,John 8:3-11,sin no more

When was the last time you considered your sin like this? We are far too casual in response to our own sin. We know Jesus has paid the price for us, so no matter what we do, we’re covered. Somehow this has led us not into deeper repentance, but into casual indifference.

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The Purpose of Life

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What did you do yesterday to build the Kingdom? What will you do today? Those two questions may be the most important you can ever ask yourself. Indeed, these questions frame the purpose of life. There is nothing else worth living for other than Jesus. We will spend our lives building His Kingdom or building our own.  The Kingdom of God is eternal.

purpose of life,commitment,discipleship,mission,God's Kingdom,Kingdom of God,Nehemiah 6:3,doing great work,Luke 4:17-21,Jesus reading Isaiah,Matthew 25:31-46,sheep and goats,James 1:27,orphans and widows,Matthew 22:37-39,greatest commandment,John 15:12,love as Jesus loved

It will exist long after our own little kingdoms have faded in history, washed away by the tides of time. But Jesus remains. His Kingdom endures forever. Why would we spend our lives pursuing things which will not last when we can spend it for that which lasts forever?

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Drifting

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I recently heard David Platt say, “no one drifts towards holiness.” I have observed the truthfulness of this statement in my own life. When we aren’t intentional in the way we are living, the tendency is to drift into sin, not holiness. Unless we are vigilant, we will allow ourselves to be distracted and the drifting will begin. Life is rarely static.

drifting,purpose,intention,discipline,John 10:10,abundant life,Matthew 28:19,great commission,1 Peter 5:8,seeking someone to devour,satan is a hungry lion

We are always moving in some direction. Even when we think we’re standing still, the currents of life are still compelling us in the direction of their own choosing. Unless we are purposefully setting a course, we will soon find ourselves drifting to places we never intended to go.

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Sacrifice

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I recently heard Pastor David Platt pose the question, “Will we sacrifice our lives so others will come to know Christ?” This is a cutting and important question. Are we willing to give up some or all of our freedom, financial security, social standing, and comfort for the sake of seeing others come to know Jesus? It’s easy to say we want the world to be saved, but when it comes down to how much it will cost us personally, we tend to balk.

sacrifice,obedience,commitment,love, surrender,Matthew 28:18-20,great commission,John 16:33,you will have trouble,Matthew 10:16-22,brother will betray

I know this is true about you because it is true of me and the evidence would say it is true of the Church at large. We who claim to be disciples of Jesus are often coming up short when it comes to fulfilling the great commission and making disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:18-20).

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