Even If i Walk Alone

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

Psalms

Get Ready

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Jesus is coming back and we better get ready. Scripture makes it clear that His coming will be unexpected (Matthew 24:36). It’s going to shock everyone because we aren’t living our lives in eager anticipation of His return (1 Thessalonians 5:2-6). Since you got out of bed this morning, how many times have you thought about the fact that this could be it? You might see Jesus in the very next minute!

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Most days, we would have to answer that we have given little thought to it at all. Sure, on an intellectual level we recognize the possibility He could come back today, but that’s a far cry from eagerly anticipating it (Philippians 3:19-21)! Why are we not more excited about the coming of our salvation? Is it because we’ve become enamored with this world?

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Make No Plans

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Studying the second half of the book of Romans this month, one verse keeps poking me when I read it. Romans 13:14 says, “But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no plans to satisfy the fleshly desires.” It’s convicting because how often do we make plans to satisfy those very desires of the flesh the Lord admonishes us not to?

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We are always making plans to do something, go somewhere, or become someone. How many of those plans center on bringing or giving glory to God? If you’re like me, not many. We design almost all our plans to fulfill the desires of our flesh rather than to further the Kingdom of God. There are exceptions, of course, but that they are the exceptions should tell us we have a problem.

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Be Transformed

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There are many verses and phrases in the Bible that we read, but never take the time to consider what they mean. One example would be Romans 12:2, where Paul exhorts us to not be conformed to this age but to be transformed. I know we don’t understand this verse because simple observation reveals most Christians are living lives of conformity to the world rather than demonstrating any kind of transformation.

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To be a follower of Jesus demands we abandon the way things used to be and embrace the superior way of the Father (Ephesians 4:22-24; Colossians 3:9-10). Transformation is not a one-time decision; it is a lifelong change of direction that requires a 180-degree turn in every area of our lives (Luke 9:23; 2 Corinthians 5:17). We turn from our desires and towards God’s holy plan.

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Your Approval

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As followers of Christ, we spend our lives pursuing obedience to His commands (John 14:15). Our love for Him compels us to live lives of obedience not because we must, but because it is the deep desire of our hearts. It’s easy to focus on the things you are doing do but ignore the things receiving your approval. We avoid the obvious sins but fail to recognize that approving of the sinful behavior of others is just as much a sin as if we were committing those acts ourselves (Romans 1:32).

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We are not to have any association with the darkness in our world (Ephesians 5:11; 2 Corinthians 6:14-17). It’s not enough to be separate in our behavior but also in our associations and to be mindful of that which receives our support and blessing.

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Have You Died?

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You claim Jesus is the Lord of your life, but have you died to sin? Both cannot be true in one’s life. We cannot serve two masters (Matthew 6:24). If we are a slave to sin, we cannot be a servant of God (John 8:34; Romans 6:16). In the same manner, if we are a slave of Christ, sin no longer has any claim on our lives (Romans 6:17-18). There is tremendous freedom in that realization. The chains of sin will drag us to an eternal death, but the blood of Christ penetrates those shackles and causes them to fall away (Colossians 2:13-14).

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We no longer have to carry the weight of our sins (Psalm 103:12; 1 Peter 2:24). As free men and women, why would we ever choose to hunt down those chains, reassemble them and clamp them back on? We need not do that, and if our commitment to Christ is genuine, we never will.

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