Even If i Walk Alone

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

Matthew

Single-Minded

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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.

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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.
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Humility and Discipleship

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The life of Jesus was marked by humility, yet we who claim to be His followers rarely live with the same goal. We spend most of our days in vain pursuits, determined to climb the ladder, find happiness, avoid suffering, and generally promoting ourselves at every opportunity. While Jesus spent his life relinquishing His own glory, we spend our lives pursuing it.

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To be a follower of Jesus, we must spend our lives dedicated to living as He did. Yet somehow we’ve twisted that into some bizarre blend of the American dream. The unspoken truth is the so-called American dream is in direct opposition to the dreams of God for your life.
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Your Best Year Ever, Part I

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As this year draws to a close, I am excited to see what might unfold in the next. The danger is we approach next year without a plan. If we don’t determine how we will endeavor to draw closer to Christ and to better reflect His love, odds are we will accomplish neither. There are plenty of articles out there dealing with setting New Year’s resolutions. I don’t want to talk about resolutions you may or may not keep past February. I want to discuss reorienting your life around Jesus not just today but for the rest of your life.

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Have you taken time to put any thought into this? If you want to be a disciple of Jesus, you must continually learn more about Him and live your life in a way that looks just like Him. This year can be the year you quit pretending and finally make the leap of committing fully to Jesus.
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The Faith of George Muller

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I recently watched a documentary on the life of George Müller. I was aware of Müller and the orphanages he started, but I didn’t have a grasp on the intense faith of this man. From the time he founded the orphanages until his death 62 years later, Müller never once asked for a single penny of support. He simply trusted God to provide.

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There are many stories of times the children all sat around an empty table at dinner time because Müller could not afford to buy food, only to have someone knock on their door at the last moment with baskets of bread and bottles of milk to provide a meal for those under his care. No meal was ever missed, and no child ever went without clothing. And through it all, Müller never requested anything other than prayer from anyone.
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Love the Lord

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I read a quote from the wife of A.W. Tozer that has haunted me for months. I don’t really know what to do with it, as the words evoke such strong and diverse emotions within my soul. After Mr. Tozer passed away and his wife remarried a man named Leonard Odam, she said, “Aiden loved Jesus, but Leonard loves me.” I am at once excited about A.W.’s devotion to Christ, that He was unashamed to love Jesus more than his wife, but at the same time find it sad perhaps his wife (Ada) did not feel loved by her husband.

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While I can’t know everything that happened in their life and marriage that led up to her statement, it does make me wonder if perhaps she desired love from her husband more than she desired to love God. While I intend no disrespect and admit I do not and cannot know her heart, it makes me reflect on my own life and marriage.
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