Even If i Walk Alone

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

Matthew

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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The No Excuses Disciple

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jesus first,kingdom of God,Heaven,hell,excuses,no excuses,disciple,grace,faith,works

I think Christians are better at rationalizing than any other people on earth. It’s easy for us to come up with explanations and excuses why we aren’t living the life God created us to live. We wait to “feel led” and diligently “seek our calling”. We’ll do about anything to avoid doing what Jesus told us to do. If the time we spent running away from our mission was employed actually working for the mission, we might just have completed it by now. Unfortunately the comforts and the cares of this life keep us from selling out and going all in for Christ.

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Living Light

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kari jobe,we are,light of the world,bill hybels,willow creek

I recently heard a song by Kari Jobe called, “We Are”. The lyrics say, “We are the light of the world/ We are the city on a hill”. Combined with the beautiful melody, it was very moving. Then I began to reflect a bit more and do what I do best: ask questions. As Christians, are the lives we lead really lighting up the world? Are we truly a beacon in the darkness? How many believers listen to songs like the one mentioned above, feel good about the message, and then carry on with their lives as usual? It’s the modern equivalent of always hearing but never understanding (Matthew 13:14). We don’t put our faith into action, or more specifically, we are ever learning but never doing.

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Spending Everything

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calvin miller,the disciplined life,dying with your music still inside,discipleship,mission,hands and feet of jesus,spent,spending everything

Do you consider yourself a world changer? If you choose to follow Christ, that will be your mission. It doesn’t take much effort to realize our world is an absolute mess. Financial systems are crashing, morals are nonexistent, and violence is out of control. The message of Jesus is a cure for all that is wrong with society. It is the job of His people to take His good news to the furthest and darkest corners of our planet. If we impart the love of God to the masses, the peace of Christ will heal our nations. The only question is, are we up to the task?

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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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