Even If i Walk Alone

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

Matthew

Holy

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In the apostle John’s vision of Heaven, he records seeing living creatures around the throne of God who never stop praising the Lord (Revelation 4:8). Day and night they proclaim “Holy, holy, holy.” They praise God without ceasing. To be in God’s presence is beyond any of our imaginations. Yet for all who know Christ, we dwell in His presence every day of our lives. Why are we not compelled to praise Him every moment we have breath?

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When we grasp the reality of Immanuel, God with us, we cannot help but be in awe (Matthew 1:23). The problem is so few ever come to understand the gravity of Jesus dwelling within our hearts. The living God is on His throne at the very core of our being, but we go through our days as if we have no idea He’s there at all.

Some of this comes from the watered-down gospel and easy salvation that has been in vogue for the last century. The fall from a deep understanding of what the magnitude and sacrifice of Christ means for us to the modern “three-second prayer and you’re saved” methodology has been a long slow slide into where we find ourselves today. We no longer can conceive what effect the holiness of Christ has on sin. We no longer comprehend the weight of our sins (Romans 3:23) or understand the enormity of what Jesus did on the cross (Romans 5:8).

Every one of us deserves to spend eternity in Hell (Romans 6:23). Not a single sin can exist in God’s presence. His holiness is so pure that if we walked into His presence carrying even the smallest of sins with us, we would die in an instant. If it weren’t for the blood of Jesus covering our every sin (1 John 1:7), we could never approach God. Jesus paid it all, and indeed, we owe everything to Him. Jesus makes it possible to know God, to be washed, and to live for all eternity with Him.

Why do I rehearse all these things that you already know? Because while we have an intellectual knowledge of these facts, they have yet to penetrate our hearts. We don’t live like these things are true because we have a low view of Christ. If we didn’t, we would never allow a day to pass that we did not live full out for Him. We would never waste a minute of our lives chasing after the filthy imitation treasures of this world (1 John 2:15-17). Jesus is King of the Universe and He is King of our hearts (Revelation 19:16). Stop living as if He were just an accessory to your life.

If Jesus isn’t everything to us, then He is nothing to us. His holiness demands our obedience and devotion (1 Peter 1:15-16). In our flesh, we will never worship Him in perfection, but that should not hinder us from trying. Perhaps we would have more time to gaze on His face and declare, “Holy, holy, holy” if we weren’t so preoccupied with chasing selfish desires and seeking comfort, security, and entertainment (Colossians 3:2). What is it we’re living for, anyway? If it’s anything other than to glorify our Savior and Creator, then it’s worthless. All that matters is what we do for Christ. Only He is holy. And only He is worthy of our lives (Revelation 4:11).

Earthly Things

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I’ve written on this topic many times, but I am increasingly convicted of it in my life and burdened by it in the lives of others. To quote Charles Spurgeon, “Do not seek lasting comfort in earthly things.” We all do this every day. We spend our entire lives in pursuit of things of this word. But Jesus admonishes us to set our mind on things above (Colossians 3:1-4). Everything down here will rot, fade, get stolen or lost, or be destroyed (Matthew 6:19-21).

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Nothing lasts. Only what we do for Christ will survive. Only His Kingdom will endure. Yet every day we are living for the temporary garbage instead of the everlasting treasures found in Christ alone. How are we still so dull, deluded, and unwilling to sacrifice what is temporary for the eternal blessings of God?

Most of us still have not mastered the whole “dying to self” thing. When we surrender our life to Jesus, the quest for earthly things comes to an immediate halt. From that moment forward, our lives are not our own (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). We belong to Jesus, and as such, our every desire is to serve, please, and glorify Him. Our dreams must die, crucified with everything else on the cross of Christ (Matthew 16:24-26). The new dream is to live a life of total obedience to Jesus (John 14:15). He is our merciful Lord, and it is our honor and privilege to serve Him alone (Romans 6:16).

The corner office, nicest car, success, fame, or even the largest church must no longer be on our radar. Those are bad goals because they all focus on earthly things. We promised to surrender those to Jesus. Once and for all, nail every carnal desire to the cross. Let His blood wash over every prideful thought and craving until your only desire is to hear Him say, “Well done, good and faithful servant” (Matthew 25:19-23). The entire point of our life is to know and be known by God (John 17:3). Nothing else matters because nothing else lasts.

Why is it so difficult to let go of the temporary pleasures and rewards of this life when we know what God has for us is infinitely better? Are we so immature and impatient that we cannot delay our desires for what is but a speck on the timeline of eternity to gain all the privileges and blessings that come with being co-heirs with Jesus (Romans 8:16-17)? Why is it so hard to live in light of eternity (Ephesians 5:15-17; 1 Peter 4:7-11)? Granted, we are physical beings, but we are so much more than that. The Spirit of the living God lives inside of us. Don’t ignore the yearning of that spirit to commune with God (Romans 8:26-27).

Accumulating earthly things comes at a price. Every moment spent in their pursuit, and even worshipping them, is a moment not spent giving glory to God. Having an abundance of earthly things isn’t a sin. The Lord may bless you with much on this earth to facilitate His plans. But we should never seek after them. We should never find our identity or worth in them (Matthew 6:19-21). Instead, we should seek first God’s Kingdom, God’s will, and God’s glory (Matthew 6:31-33). If we do, we will spend eternity with Him and have more than we could ever ask or imagine because we will have Jesus Himself (John 14:2-3; Ephesians 3:20-21). There is nothing better than that.

Revival Starts Within

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Why do we get so angry when those without Christ commit sinful acts and implement sinful policies? They are unrepentant sinners. What else would we expect them to do? A better question is why aren’t we who know Christ more angry with our lack of devotion and actions for His Kingdom? It’s very easy to see the specks in the eyes of others but difficult to notice the logs in our own eyes (Matthew 7:3-5).

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Our world is spiraling into evil and darkness, causing no small amount of hand-wringing from those of us who long to see all people repent and acknowledge Jesus as the Lord He is. While it is right to call out sin intending to point people to Christ, we must never forget that any revival must first begin in the hearts of God’s people.

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Always Listening

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With the number of apps and devices listening to everything you say, there is a growing concern about the death of privacy. It has been well-founded that many of these devices are listening even when you turn them off or restrict their permissions. Combine this with the growing number of cameras in your home and in public, and it’s safe to say privacy in modern cultures is a thing of the past.

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Someone or something is always listening. Someone or something is always watching. This makes most normal people uncomfortable, to say the least. We don’t want our most intimate words and actions to be known. But this is nothing new. From the beginning, God was always listening and watching (Psalm 94:9). You have never said or done anything that escaped His awareness (Psalm 139:1-4).

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Thus Says the Lord

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In many places in scripture we read the phrase, “Thus says the Lord”, or for those of us who grew up with the King James Version of the Bible, “Thus Saith the Lord”. In fact, it occurs over 400 times (Exodus 4:22-23, Jeremiah 2:2, Ezekiel 37:5, to name a few) throughout Scripture. God spoke His Word through the prophets and apostles so we would always know His truth and His commands.

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The question is, what will we do with what the Lord said? It not only defines how we will live today, but determines our eternal destiny. We cannot have everlasting life unless we love God, and if we love Him, we will obey His Word (John 14:15). For disciples of Jesus, “Thus says the Lord” becomes our guardrails and keeps our paths straight (Proverbs 3:5-6).

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