Even If i Walk Alone

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

John

Obedience is the Test of Love

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A.W. Tozer,Tozer,obedience,love,hands and feet of Jesus,Matthew,Mark,John,Heaven,Jesus,James,Christ,Jesus Christ,love of God,love God,great commision,golden rule

A.W. Tozer once said, “The final test of love is obedience.” This is such a profound truth, yet one that is consistently overlooked or ignored in our modern version of Christianity. Ours is an era of “cheap grace”, meaning salvation is ours for the asking and requiring no more of us than the request itself. Following Jesus requires more than mere belief that He is the Son of God; it requires more than believing He was crucified and rose from the dead. Even demons believe this (James 2:19)! To be welcomed into the Kingdom of God, we must not only believe, but also be madly in love with Jesus. And the final test of love is obedience.

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Self-Denial

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greg boyd,upside down kingdom,dronald kraybill,self denial,deny yourself,take up your cross,commitment,first will be last,jesus first

As has been posited by many (perhaps most notably by Donald Kraybill and Greg Boyd), the Kingdom of God is an upside down kingdom. If you want to be first, you must be last. If you want to be rich, you must give it all away. And if you want to find self-fulfillment, you must practice self-denial. It seems quite backwards to us because we have become accustomed to thinking in terms of our own culture instead of the ways of God’s Kingdom. But if we will truly embrace these principles, we will find peace and fulfillment unlike anything we have ever known.

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Selfishness

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hold loosely,generosity,be generous,live simply,minimalism,share with others,sharing,being selfish,selfishness,God so loved the world,john 3:16

One of my favorite Christian authors is Calvin Miller. I’ve recently been reading his excellent little book entitled, “The Disciplined Life”. One of the things he said that really struck me was, “The difference between what God wants for us and what we ultimately become rests in how we break the thrall of those appetites that chain us to selfish lifestyles and selfish life goals.” My studies this past year have convinced me that selfishness is at the heart of all sin. Perhaps this is not a revelation to you and might even seem rather obvious. But how often do we look at our lives and consider ourselves selfish? Until we come to that realization, I submit we are all living in delusion.

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The Kingdom of God

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building campaigns,church finance,kingdom of God,Heaven,God's Kingdom,thy kingdom come,foxes have holes,not peace but a sword

For roughly three short years two thousand years ago, we got a brief glimpse of what the Kingdom of God looks like. When Jesus lived among us, He healed all those who were sick. He partied with the outcasts of the culture and chastised the societal elite. He was at once revolutionary and peaceful. Jesus knew no strangers and loved unconditionally. No wonder such large crowds followed Him; who wouldn’t want the slightest glimpse of Heaven? Who wouldn’t want to experience what life was truly meant to be? Jesus showed us what a life lived for Him, a Kingdom life, was all about. He set the example that all His disciples commit to follow.

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Staying Connected

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the vine and the branches,connected to Christ,one with Christ,how to be a disciple,answered prayers,when god doesn't answer your prayers,does god hear my prayers,growing in Christ

In John 15:1-8, Jesus tells a story that conveys almost everything we need to know in order to live as His disciple. It’s the familiar parable of the vine and the branches. The fact that the passage is so familiar is problematic. Those who have followed Christ for many years and have become well versed in the Bible often tend to read well-known portions of scripture rapidly and without a lot of engagement. The parable of “The Vine and the Branches” is all about engagement. Jesus says that if we will stay connected to Him, He will stay connected to us. Being connected requires a relationship, which means we will be engaging with Christ and His words.

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