Even If i Walk Alone

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

priorities

Not My Will, But Yours

by

The prayer of Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane is powerful for us today. It’s easy to miss the simple power contained within this prayer because we are accustomed to reading it as part of the crucifixion story. Jesus prayed, “Father, if You are willing, take this cup away from Me—nevertheless, not My will, but Yours, be done.” (Luke 22:42). It is the second half of the prayer on which I’d like to focus: “not my will, but yours be done.”

not my will but yours,God's will,discipleship,commitment,purpose,priorities,Luke 22:42,garden of Gethsemane,Matthew 6:10,Lord's prayer,Jesus prays,Luke 22:44,sweat like blood,prayers of Jesus

A couple of years earlier, Jesus had taught His disciples to pray in a similar manner, when He prayed, “Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” (Matthew 6:10). Jesus prayed and instructed us to pray for God’s will to be done, regardless of what we face or what is swirling around us.

[Read more…] about Not My Will, But Yours

Building God’s Kingdom

by

In Haggai 1:4, God says, “Why are you living in luxurious houses while my house lies in ruins?” While we should certainly feel some conviction of this taken at face value, I think there is also a deeper application. Looking at the state of the typical Christian life today, we could paraphrase this into “Why are you building such a luxurious kingdom for yourself while neglecting My Kingdom?”

building God's Kingdom,Kingdom of God,commitment,mission,purpose,priorities,God's Kingdom,luxury houses,luxury homes,Haggai 1:4,my house lies in ruins

There is no escape from the fact almost every one of us devotes far more time building our own “house” than we do building the Kingdom of God. This attitude permeates how we spend our time and our money. The culture in which we live demands we prioritize self before others and certainly before God.

[Read more…] about Building God’s Kingdom

Dead People

by

There’s a famous line from the 1999 movie, “The Sixth Sense”, where the little boy says, “I see dead people.” It was supposed to be creepy at the time, but now it is more comical (or perhaps that’s just my own twisted sense of humor!). The fact is, as Christ-followers, we should say “I see dead people” every time we walk into a gathering of believers.

dead people,commitment,purpose,discipleship,priorities,Galatians 2:19-20,I no longer live,Luke 9:23,take up your cross,Matthew 6:31-33,seek ye first

If our faith in Jesus is genuine it means we have given up everything. Indeed, we have died to ourselves. Jesus said if we would follow Him we must “take up our cross daily” (Luke 9:23). Nobody walks away from their cross alive. We are dead people.

[Read more…] about Dead People

Breathing Christ

by

What if Christ were so central to our lives He became our very breath? Everything would depend on Him just as everything depends on our ability to breathe in and breathe out. Wouldn’t it be amazing if Jesus was so essential to our lives living for Him became as natural and effortless as breathing?

breathing Christ,discipline,commitment,priorities,Galatians 5:22-23,spiritual fruit,spiritual discipline,fruit of the spirit

The Holy Spirit of God infuses our body. He is not an add-on, but rather an integrated part of all we are. He adds no weight and is indeed as light as the air we breathe.  Because of this, communing with Christ can be as natural and easy as breathing in and breathing out.

[Read more…] about Breathing Christ

Deep and Wide

by

Evan Esar once said, “You can’t do anything about the length of your life. But you can do something about its width and depth.” I like that. None of us know how many days we have remaining. It’s not our call. But what we do with each of those days is within our hands. Every day we choose to pass the time or impact it. In and of itself, there is nothing remarkable about a long life. At best, it’s interesting. But a life lived well is something truly remarkable.

deep and wide,andy stanley,long life,priorities,purpose,God's will,focus,freewill,free will

I want to live a life rich in width and depth. The length doesn’t matter so much to me.  Like Paul, I can say if I live, I’ll live for Christ, but if I die, I’ll be with Him (Philippians 1:21). I have a lot to look forward to. Delaying that sweet reward isn’t exactly in my best interest.

[Read more…] about Deep and Wide