Even If i Walk Alone

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

Matthew

The Problem of Evil

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My heart broke this past week when the lead singer of a popular Christian band renounced his faith in Jesus in a very public way. What broke my heart was not the damage this might do to the faith of those over whom he has influence, although that is troublesome. It didn’t break my heart the way the media latched onto the story and the damage something like this inflicts on the Church, although this too is cause for prayer.

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The Church will survive. The gates of Hell will not prevail against us, no matter how unexpected the attack (Matthew 16:18). What broke my heart were the reasons this individual gave for no longer believing.  There are straightforward answers to his questions, and yet somehow, no one in this man’s life could counsel him with the truth.

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One Day at a Time

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Following Jesus must be done one day at a time. Jesus told us we shouldn’t worry about tomorrow because today has enough trouble of its own (Matthew 6:31-34). In Proverbs, Agur prayed for just enough provision for today, not for a month, a year, or a lifetime (Proverbs 30:8). Agur was a wise man, so if his advice was to focus only on the day ahead of us, that should probably good enough for us. But when Jesus says it, then as His disciples, we must live as He says.

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As you study the life of Christ, you see a man who took each day as it came. He was never in a rush and never harried. He spent each day dealing with whatever situation was presenting itself. The only long-term agenda He seemed to have was obeying His Father. Everything else was dealt with as it came.

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Faith Demands Obedience

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Dietrich Bonhoeffer said, “Faith is only real when there is obedience”. James, the brother of Jesus tells us faith without works is useless (James 2:15-17). What good is it if we see someone in need and wish them well as we walk by (James 2:15-16)? Saving the best for last, Jesus teaches us that God loves those who obey Him; those who obey Christ will live with Him forever (John 14:23).

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Obedience is not optional for followers of Jesus. It is proof of our devotion to Him. Quoting James again. “Show me your faith without works, and I will show you faith from my works. (James 2:18).” Our faith isn’t faith at all unless we obey Christ. Obedience is not an add-on. It is the essence of what it means to follow Jesus.

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Follow Jesus

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The call of a disciple of Jesus is simple. It boils down to the two words Jesus spoke when calling His original disciples: “Follow me.” To follow Jesus is to look like He looks, to do the things He would do, and to see others the way He sees them. There isn’t a massive playbook we need to learn. His yoke is easy, and His burden is light (Matthew 11:28-30).

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The learning curve is small, we just follow Him. That’s it! And yet so many miss the simplicity of it all. Throughout the centuries, spiritual leaders and churches have been adding on to the simplest of all requirements. There is no “follow Jesus and…”, there is only walking in the footsteps of our Lord and Savior.

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Do You Know Jesus?

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I have a few friends who profess to be Christians but do not live their lives with any urgency or passion for Him. Being candid, this scares me to death. I’m scared because I don’t want them to deceive themselves thinking because they once said a prayer, and maybe still pray to God for help and even sometimes thanks, that they have a relationship with Him. Salvation is not an event. It’s a process.

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It is a lifelong commitment to a relationship with Jesus Christ. You cannot put our salvation up on a shelf. It is a living, breathing, vibrant thing. If it is not, I am scared it may not be there at all. No one lives the life of a Christ-follower perfectly. We will all mess up and some days are better than others. But those who have surrendered their lives to Jesus will always be motivated to love and serve Him.

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