Even If i Walk Alone

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

surrender

Consistency

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Consistency is what most hinders us from living a life that looks like Christ. We can live for Jesus in the moment, maybe even for a day or a week, but given enough time, we waver. Old habits creep in, and new habits get lost in the busyness of our day-to-day lives. Before we know it, and despite our best efforts, we are once again stuck in a pattern of life that looks much more like the world than it does Jesus.

What’s wrong with us? We know what He did for us. We love Him. Why does it never seem to be enough? I wish I had a definitive answer for you, but I don’t. I do have some ideas, though.

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Hypocrisy

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If you paid a stranger to watch the way you live for a week, what would they say was the focus of your life? Would they see Jesus? Would they understand what it meant to be a Christian from watching what you did and listening to what you said? We Christians can talk a pretty good game, especially when we’re cloistered safe inside our places of worship or surrounded by like-minded believers.

The manner in which we exercise our faith is less convincing. There’s an old word for that: hypocrisy. Nobody I know ever wants to be called a hypocrite, but if your actions don’t align with your words, what else would someone call you? To behave like this is the same as looking at yourself in a mirror and then forgetting what you look like the moment you turn away. (James 1:23-24)

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What If It’s True?

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Some writings in the Bible can seem fantastical and difficult to believe. I’m the first to admit that having confidence in the authority of scripture does require an exercise of faith. I don’t doubt or question any part of God’s Word, but I acknowledge that for some it can be harder to believe than not to. God’s Word isn’t for everyone.

We know that far more people will choose an easier road to travel. (Matthew 7:13-14) Even though Jesus invites many to come to Him, few will accept His invitation. (Matthew 22:14) You can choose to dismiss all the Bible says and think it’s just a bunch of fairy tales and fables. But before you walk away, I’d ask that you consider one question: What if it’s true?

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The Next Day

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You can learn a lot about the sincerity of your faith by how you live the next day following a significant spiritual event. When the emotions drain and the crowds drift away, does your commitment remain? We must never mistake emotion for depth or groupthink for personal determination. What we are desperate for is a lasting change of heart, a transformation that only occurs through the work of the Holy Spirit. (Ezekiel 36:26–27; 2 Corinthians 3:18)

We need more than a one-time event, or even a particular season of life, to sustain us in living our lives for Christ. (Luke 9:23) We need something that lasts beyond today, into tomorrow, and for every day to come. Emotions come and go, but the truth found in the Gospel of Jesus never changes and never fails. (Isaiah 40:8; Hebrews 13:8)

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Who Are We

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Who are we to demand anything of Jesus? When He was on trial, the authorities of both the Jewish and Roman empires demanded that Jesus answer their questions and accusations against him. But He kept silent. (Isaiah 53:7) He owed nothing to these men. He was their Creator, possessing knowledge so far greater than theirs that they could never imagine. (John 1:3; Colossians 2:3)

And yet they demanded answers from Him. The creatures were questioning their Creator. (Romans 9:20) Don’t we do the same? In our prayers, we demand Jesus answer them and answer in the way we want Him to. (James 4:3) Who are we to think we can demand anything of Christ? We proclaim Him to be our Lord and then act as if He is subservient to us. (Luke 6:46)

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