Even If i Walk Alone

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

Cruise Ship Christians

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count the cost,following Christ is hard,francis chan,greg mcclain,wesleyan church of hamburg,following Jesus,,life mission

Francis Chan has said that the Western church today must change from the mindset of “come and listen” to one of “go and tell”. One of the turning point sermons of my life was delivered by Greg McClain. He was comparing the way we look at church as either a cruise ship or a battle carrier. Those who see it as a cruise ship expect to find comfort and entertainment; they might participate in a few programs, but for the most part they are there to be served. On the other hand, people who view church as a battle carrier realize they have a job to do as part of a larger mission. Battleship Christians are always working toward a common goal and are there to serve others.

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Abandoned to Obedience

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obedience,david platt,follow me,radical,obey,obey God,discipleship,Jesus is Lord,Lord of your life,Jesus first,God first

In David Platt’s latest book, “Follow Me”, there is a powerful passage that details what our lives should look like as followers of Jesus. The author writes, “All throughout history, God has purposed to raise up a people who by His grace are so holy and so pure and so abandoned in their obedience to Him that they dread the thought of disobedience. A people who are so serious about sin that they help each other to avoid it at every turn because they know how dangerous and deadly it is. God has determined to display His character through a distinct people who show a watching world that He is great, holy, powerful, and pure.”

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Comfort in the Storms

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cast out fear,no fear,God is love,comfort,peace,Jesus,peace in storms,faith in storms,comfort in storms

My parents have a German Shepherd named Gabe that is absolutely petrified of thunderstorms. Recently when dog-sitting for them, I found myself cradling him while lying on the floor of a closet. I’ve never seen a dog shake so badly in all my life. The fear is irrational of course. No matter how loud the thunder, it can never injure Gabe. No matter how hard it rains, the water cannot reach into the upstairs closet where Gabe is trying to seek comfort. Even if the winds begin to howl and rattle the house, my arms are wrapped around him, protecting him against whatever will come. Despite all of this Gabe still shakes uncontrollably.  It reminded me of how fearful we tend to be despite having the arms of the all powerful God wrapped around us.

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Pleasing God

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not of this world,peculiar peaople,pleasing God,serving God

In 2 Timothy 2:4, Paul tells us that “No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in the concerns of civilian life; he seeks to please the recruiter.” We somehow have forgotten about this part of scripture. It’s always far more convenient to only talk about those areas that are comfortable for us, or the commands with which we don’t struggle. In the passage above, the recruiter is obviously Jesus. He loves you and has been drawing you towards Him your entire life. Getting “entangled in the concerns of civilian life” means becoming obsessed with achieving success outside of His kingdom or constantly striving to acquire all the stuff that your neighbors and society at large have convinced you that you need.

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Make Each Day Count

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Jesus is Lord,Lord of your life,Jesus first,God first,living for Jesus,what does it mean to be a christian

Perhaps the most important question we can ask ourselves each day is, “How will I make this day count for God’s purposes?” What if we each would start our mornings by asking that question? Before the coffee, before the shower, even before our feet hit the floor, we should be asking what Christ would have us do in the next twenty-four hours. How could we most look like Jesus as we go throughout our day? I wonder how different our lives might look if we would implement this small discipline. Indeed, consider how the world might be transformed if we would all live each day with such intentionality.

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