Even If i Walk Alone

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

priorities

Repent

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As John the Baptist began preaching, he had a very simple message: “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven has come near” (Matthew 3:2). Jesus began His public ministry with the same message: “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe in the good news” (Mark 1:15). This message rings as true and relevant today.

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In a world where everyone believes they have their truth and morals have become a relic of the past, the need to repent has never been greater. God sets the rules for living because He created everything that lives. He is the author and judge, and our only role is to obey Him. Instead, we’ve spent millennia thumbing our noses at the One who loves us most.

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Serve God and God Alone

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The first three commandments provide almost everything you need to know to live a life pleasing to God. Last week we did a high-level flyover of all ten commandments of God’s law (see “The Ten Commandments”). Some may wonder why I’d bother spending more time on such a well-known passage of Scripture from the Old Testament. The reason is God’s law forms the bedrock of our faith.

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It is this law that shows, without the blood and resurrection power of Jesus, we are lost. So I want to dive a little deeper into the first three commandments today: do not have any gods other than God, do not make anything an idol, and do not disrespect the name of God. I think we can sum up these commandments by saying we must serve God and God alone.

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Finding Rest

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Perhaps the scarcest commodity in the world today is rest. Do you agree? If you asked the typical person how they were doing twenty years ago, they would unthinkingly reply, “Fine.” Ask anyone today, and the most common response is, “Busy.”. Research shows people are working fewer hours and taking more time off than ever, so how can everyone be so busy? I suggest it’s a matter of priorities. There are more options and demands for our time than at any other point in history.

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Not wanting to miss out on anything, we cram more into our schedules. Unable to cope with the insanity in the number of choices available, we become paralyzed with indecision, leading to us falling behind in everything. Jesus promised His followers rest, so there has to be a better way, right? I believe there is. I believe finding rest is not only possible but essential to our discipleship.

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Live to Glorify God

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How do we live to glorify God? Preachers, Bible teachers, and authors continually tell us our lives should glorify God. But how do we do that? I think anyone who has a sincere love for Christ desires to glorify Him. We want to make Him known to the world. Still, “glorifying” Him seems elusive. It’s a strange word, and one rarely used in common conversation.

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To glorify God is a high calling. The Westminster Shorter Catechism states, “Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever.” Bringing glory to God must be the primary focus of our lives. God created us to glorify Him. To do anything less with our lives is to live outside of God’s Will.

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The Wrong Battles

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In a world and country that is increasingly hostile to the ways of Christ, it’s easy to lose perspective and begin fighting the wrong battles. The battle for our culture is important, no doubt about it. At the same time, it is not the most important fight. Even if we lose the battle for the culture, God’s plan will carry on undeterred. If you’re like me, it’s hard to not be dismayed at the moral decline all around us.

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Not so long ago, America was seen around the world as a Christian nation. We can debate for years what that actually meant and how well America lived up to such a platitude, but that was how the world saw the USA. Things have changed. To see it unfold in my lifetime has been both sobering and maddening.

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