Even If i Walk Alone

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

Matthew

You Have Gifts

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I have a friend who frequently laments they don’t have any gifts to use for the Kingdom. I have to consistently remind them if they have breath, then they have been created with a unique combination of skills, talents, and passions to be used for building the Kingdom of God here on earth. I will say the same thing to you: if you are breathing, you have gifts! No one is here by accident.

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While some gifts may be more visible and obvious than others, it takes all of us working together to accomplish the work Christ has given us to do. Never minimize your contribution, because you have the potential to do everything God intended you to do.

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The Lucky Ones

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We are the lucky ones. As followers of Christ, we cannot lose and we cannot fail. How many people strive for the same thing in their own lives? People try to ensure their legacy through success in business, relationships, entertainment, or adventure. In the end, they will all fail. They will lose everything they thought they were building. Disciples of Jesus are the true winners in this world.

lucky ones,love,passion,possessions,stewardship,steward,lonliness,despair,eternity,laura branigan,loverboy,Matthew 10:39,anyone who finds his life will lose it,Matthew 19:29,will receive 100 times more,Matthew 25:14-30,parable of talents

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Christ Himself said those who lose everything for His sake will gain it all back and then some (Matthew 10:39; Matthew 19:29). I don’t know about you, but I’d rather spend my time acquiring what I cannot lose than squandering it collecting what disappears almost as soon as I obtain it. Because we collect eternal wealth and rewards, we are indeed the lucky ones.

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Believer or Follower?

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Laurie Cole makes a great distinction between Christians and disciples. The first is a believer, the latter a follower. I want to be a follower. I choose to be a follower. Indeed, there is no other way to become a disciple of Jesus. If you too want to be a disciple, you must choose to be one. This goes beyond mere belief. Anyone can believe in Christ. It takes but a moment, no effort, and need not have any demonstrable proof of our decision.

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Discipleship, on the other hand, takes a lifetime. It takes an extraordinary amount of effort and commitment on our part. There will be evidence of a dramatically changed life whose sole purpose becomes dramatically changing the lives of others. So, you must choose; will you be a believer or follower of Jesus?

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The Christian Life

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St. Ignatius of Loyola said, “Teach us, Lord, to serve you as you deserve, to give and not to count the cost, to fight and not to heed the wounds, to toil and not to seek for rest, to labor and not to seek for any reward, save that of knowing that we do your will.” Commenting on this statement, author Richard Foster summarized, “The Christian life is one of strength and endurance in the face of suffering.”

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How different this is from the experience of most who call themselves Christians in the Western world! Regardless of our modern culture and misunderstanding of what it means to be a true disciple of Jesus, it cannot be denied our lives bear little resemblance to that of our Savior. If it is our true desire to love and honor Christ, we must examine our motives and activities.

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Fierce Faith

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I am perturbed by the current state of Christianity. We have succumbed to a mediocre faith of few requirements and a perception of even fewer consequences. As usual, A.W. Tozer says it perfectly: “Faith now means no more than passive moral acquiescence in the Word of God and the cross of Jesus. To exercise it we have only to rest on one knee and nod our heads in agreement with the instructions of a personal worker intent upon saving our soul.”

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I’m not certain how we got here but it’s not what Jesus had in mind when He was being tortured and crucified on our behalf. Jesus’s faith in the Father cost Him everything. It caused Him to lead a difficult life and die a gruesome death. His was not a faith of mediocrity or passive moral acquiescence to the standards of His Father.

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