Even If i Walk Alone

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

Discipline

Single-Minded

by

I was recently reading Calvin Miller’s excellent “The Disciplined Life” for a second time and came across a statement that exploded off the page. The author wrote, “To hold anything in our hearts that is contrary to the single-minded call is to split our attention between Jesus and whatever else is calling for first place in our allegiance.”
This is the heart of discipleship.

single-mindedness,focus,mission,Kingdom of God,discipleship,God's will,Calvin Miller,Disciplined Life,discipline,Mark 3:24,Luke 9:61-62,Luke 14:26-27,Matthew 8:20,Genesis 19:17,Genesis 19:26,Luke 9:62,Matthew 7:21-23,Matthew 25:31-46,sheep and the goats,many will say to me Lord

image © ricardoferrando via Fotolia

There is no place in the life of a follower of Christ for anything other than Jesus. A divided kingdom will certainly fall (Mark 3:24), and a divided heart will never find lasting peace or victory. We either solely belong to Jesus or we do not belong to Him at all.
[Read more…] about Single-Minded

Know Your Why

by

It’s difficult to live for Jesus. Everything in this world conspires against you. You want to serve well and follow in His footsteps, but the cares and circumstances of this life keep getting in the way. Nowhere is this more evident than when you attempt to put some spiritual disciplines into your life. It seems as soon as you set the alarm clock for an hour earlier in order to pray and study, some crisis hits that finds you getting to bed two hours later than planned.

know your why,start with why,simon sinek,purpose in life,purpose,mission,God's will for your life,commitment,discipline,devotion,disciple,discipleship

image © Pixelbliss via Fotolia

When the alarm clock goes off the next morning, you quickly rationalize your way through hitting the snooze button a few dozen times. You have lost your motivation as quickly as you had found it. I am convinced the problem is you don’t know your why; your “why” is the reason you do what you do.
[Read more…] about Know Your Why

Your Mission in Life

by

Sometimes I’m afraid I’ll begin to sound like a broken record. As a writer I always want to be bringing my readers something fresh and new, so I try and vary my content regularly to keep my audience interested. Those are my instincts honed by years of studying my craft. The problem is God messes up the whole equation. When God leads me to write about a topic, there’s no arguing about it.

your mission in life,A.W. Tozer,tozer,mission,life mission,God's will for your life,commitment,discipline,disciple,discipleship,

image © airdone via Fotolia

The whole purpose of this blog is to teach others what God is teaching me. So when God says, “Write this”, I write it regardless of whether or not I’ve already written about it. With that in mind, I want to once again visit the topic of the spiritual battle swirling around us while we selfishly pursue all this world has to offer.

[Read more…] about Your Mission in Life

This Day and That Day

by

Every so often I run across a quote that resonates so deeply it feels as if it has rocked my very soul. The one I found most recently was from Martin Luther, who said, “There are two days in my calendar: This day and that Day.” The ‘that day” to which he referred was the day he would meet Jesus.

this day and that day,Martin Luther,focus,this present moment,being present,Matthew 6:25-34,Luke 12:16-21,worry,do not worry,planning for the future

image © rocketclips

Martin Luther thought only of what was going on right now in this present moment, and of things that would occur when he stood face to face with Jesus. What an amazing outlook on life, one that aligns perfectly with the teachings of Christ.

What a contrast to the way most of us go about our lives. We spend much of our time planning and dreaming about the future. Jesus had some strong language for those of us operating in that manner. In Luke 12:16-21, he said we who make plans for the future without first serving God are fools. We can make the most intricate plans for future vacations and our retirement, but our life could be demanded of us at any moment. For what then will all those plans count? Who will profit from all you have saved for the future? When we neglect the importance of this moment, sacrificing it for an unknown future, we are missing out on the real treasures of life. That makes us foolish indeed.

We fret about having food, shelter, and clothing, but Jesus instructed us not to give such things a second thought (Matthew 6:25-34). He pointed out how He takes care of the birds of the air and how He tends to the garden of our world without any help on our behalf. He is aware of every situation and will not abandon us. Yet at the first sign of trouble we turn away from Him and run towards the things of this world. We flee the warm embrace of Jesus and plunge head first into the razor sharp talons of the adversary. We abandon the only true safety for the empty promises of an illusory and temporary comfort.

What if we focused our lives only on this day and that day? How might our lives be different? Forget about the future. You can’t predict it and have no guarantee it will even come. First dedicate your entire existence to Jesus. Concentrate only on what you can do to serve Him on this day, in this hour, at this very moment.

When you think about the future, think only of the moment your hands will grasp the feet of Jesus. Play out the scene in your mind. What might that day look like to you? What will you say? What will you do? How will Jesus react to seeing you? The way ‘that day’ plays out is dependent on how you live ‘this day’. Nothing else matters beyond how you serve Jesus right now.  With every breath we are either building up or tearing down the Kingdom of God. Think only of this day. Dream only of that day. The rest will take care of itself.

You Can Have it All

by

Advertising media is constantly telling us we “deserve to have it all”. American culture encourages us to reach for the stars and to pursue success. From an early age many are taught we can be anything we want to be. As we mature, we discover what all those who have gone before us already know. We actually can’t have it all.

you can have it all,Michael Phelps,deserve to have it all,you can't have it all,surrender,pursuit,pursue,having it all

image © Sondem

There aren’t enough hours in a lifetime to do everything we want to do. There isn’t enough money to bankroll our every whim. Instead we must determine which things are most important to us to pursue and leave the rest littered on the field of unfulfilled promises and shattered dreams.
[Read more…] about You Can Have it All