Even If i Walk Alone

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

Love

Choosing Divine Love

by

One of my favorite Bible verses is 1 John 2:15. It is a beautiful verse with a sobering warning. Put simply, we cannot say we love God if we love the things of this world. Every day, this verse is at the forefront of my mind. It is the lens through which I see the world. To my regret, I still fail far too often to heed the warning. I have yet to learn to keep from loving the things of this world.

choosing divine love,an in-depth study of 1 John 2:15,Bible study,commitment,love,discipleship,divine love,love for God,Christian faith,1 John 2:15

One upside of how evil this world is becoming is that it is becoming far more difficult to love anything about it! Still, the battle goes on every day in the life of every follower of Jesus. There is no excuse for embracing the things of this world for those of us who claim Jesus as Lord. The choice could not be more clear: we either love Jesus or we love the things of this world.

[Read more…] about Choosing Divine Love

Never Alone

by

Much of persecution aims to make us feel isolated and alone. God designed us to live in community with Him and one another, so being ostracized can cause great stress for most people. That is why going with the crowd rarely leads to any persecution. So long as you are in the flow, the world will readily accept you and you’ll be relatively safe.

never alone,persecution,fear,love,peace,rest

As soon as you swim against the tide, however, you can easily feel like you are the only person fighting the battle. Isolation is mentally wearing on us, and those who would persecute you will do everything to exploit this. The good news is that in Christ, we are never alone. That’s not some spiritual triteness, it is a Biblical certainty in which we can find comfort, rest, peace, and hope.

[Read more…] about Never Alone

The Fear of the Lord

by

The fear of the Lord has always been a bit of a conundrum for me. On the one hand, I understand what it means, but in some ways, it is a mystery. We know we should fear the Lord because He is holy and His wrath is terrifying. At the same time, His love and mercy are comforting and we know those who love Him are safe in His arms. The paradox of fearing and loving God has led to a lot of thought, study, and confusion for me.

fear of the Lord,commitment,discipleship,wisdom,lovefear,surrender

Perhaps you are in the same boat. Thankfully, the Lord cleared all this up for me in an instant this week. I was reading in the book of Proverbs, one of my favorite books in the Bible, and one I have read countless times. Yet for the first time, I saw something I’d overlooked before.

[Read more…] about The Fear of the Lord

Types of Sin

by

Most people think of sin as something they intentionally do. Those a little more mature in their faith recognize sin can also be things we intentionally do not do. Traditionally, we refer to these types of sins as sins of commission and sins of omission, respectively. There are, however, other types of sin. We can sin based on what we allow into our lives. There may be no active commission or omission in the circumstances, but simply allowing certain influences and voices into our lives can condition and predispose our hearts to sin.

types of sin,sin,love,commitment,discipleship

The same goes for what we tolerate. If we refrain from engaging in sinful behavior or attitudes but tolerate it in others, we sin by not upholding the righteous standard of our King. Recognizing that sin comes in the forms of what we allow and what we tolerate will close almost every loophole we’ve created in our lives regarding sin.

[Read more…] about Types of Sin

Study Scripture

by

When we study scripture, we should always ask, “What is this passage revealing to me about God?” The Bible is God’s Word to us. It is His revelation of Himself. If you want to know God, study scripture. If you want to hear the Lord speak, read what He is saying in His Word. God reveals all we need to know about Him within the pages of His Word.

study scripture,Bible study,love,awe,,majesty,God's character,character of God,God's will,Bible

The Bible is a sacred book, a book to be cherished above everything else in our lives. Jesus is the Word of God in the flesh (John 1:1-4; John 1:14). He is the bread of life. If we want to live fully, then we must consume His bread (John 6:35; John 6:48-55). We must delight in His Word. We study scripture to know God and to learn how to live our lives as He intends us to live them.

[Read more…] about Study Scripture