Even If i Walk Alone

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

commitment

The Rich Young Ruler Revisited

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I have always been drawn to the story of the rich young ruler found in three of the four gospels (Matthew 19:16-22, Mark 10:17-22, Luke 18:18-23). I love the black and white of it (or so it would seem). I love the way it lays down the gauntlet and demands everything from us in exchange for Jesus.

rich young ruler,Matthew 5:40,Matthew 8:20,Luke 18:18-23,Matthew 19:16-22,Mark 10:17-22,Acts 2:44-47,Acts 16:14-15,Matthew 27:57,Philippians 3:7-9,commitment

image © vladimirfloyd

So much has been written about this story already. Yet still I keep coming back to it. What does it mean to you and me and the lives we lead on a daily basis? How does it apply to those who profess to follow Christ 2,000 years after He walked on this very earth?
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Master of Distraction

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For Christ followers, I am convinced that the source of all our discouragement, frustration, and depression is the result of taking our focus off of Jesus. As soon as we revert to our selfish nature, looking at ourselves instead of Him, everything starts to go a bit haywire. Each of us has been uniquely designed by God. We have all been given talents, skills, and passions to use to further His Kingdom. When we begin to live in ways that are not consistent with whom we were created to be, we slip and wander.

master of distraction,focus,Matthew 11:30,love the Lord your God,my yoke is easy

image © Marc Xavier

Satan does everything he can to cause this to happen. He tempts us with visions of a better, safer, or easier life. He entices us to fill our lives with things other than Christ. He is the master of distraction, and if we give in to his lies, we will find ourselves frustrated, discouraged, and perhaps even sinking into the depths of depression.
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Imitating Jesus

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The goal of every Christ follower is to live as He did. When others look at us, there should be no doubt that we are imitating Jesus. While I don’t have the data to back it up, I’m confident most people who are truly passionate about Jesus would agree with that. I am just as confident that most of us have no idea what that really means.

imitating Jesus,mission,mission of Jesus,God's character,the truth about God,commitment,discipleship,Matthew 8:20

image © Christin Lola – Fotolia

I know that because if we did, we wouldn’t be confusing Christianity with the American dream.  Do you really want to know what it looks like to imitate Jesus? It’s all right there in the New Testament of the Bible.
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God is All We Need

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Francois Fenelon noted that, “God needs nothing that is in us. He can never find anything there except what He Himself has given us.” How often do we stop to ponder that? In the midst of chasing success, building relationships, and achieving new accomplishments, it becomes easy to become impressed with ourselves.

God is all we need,francois fenelon,self-sufficient,nothing without God,commitment,humility

image © Romolo Tavani – Fotolia

We are so impressed that we can’t wait to point out how amazing we are to others as well. But there is nothing that we ever achieve that God has not put in us. We are nothing on our own. It’s one thing to acknowledge this, but quite another to live as if it were really true.
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Trading TV for God

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Francis Chan once posed an interesting challenge to his family: limit your television watching time to the same number of hours you spend studying God’s Word. As with any household, especially those that have children, the challenge was not very popular at first but everyone was soon on board. When I read this, I had a couple of thoughts. One, what a brilliant idea and something I immediately knew I was going to put into practice in my own life.

trading TV for God,francis chan,every breath is a gift from God,spending time with God,growing closer to God,growing in faith

image © StudioAraminta – Fotolia

Second, I was deeply saddened that there would be any resistance to the challenge, knowing full well that I would have reacted the same way had my father suggested this when I was growing up. Worse, I know deep down that the challenge still feels daunting. Why is it we are so much more willing to spend our time on things of this world than with the God who created everything in the first place?
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