What a Fully Devoted Follower of Christ Looks Like , Part 1

“O God, earnestly I seek You. My soul thirsts for You, my flesh longs for You, as in a dry and weary landwhere there is no water.” Psalm 63:1“But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Morethan that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Jesus Christ my Lord.”Philippians 3:8ff“Our heads ached; our eyes became bloodshot and dim in the blinding glare. Our tongues began to swell.Our lips turned purplish-black and burst open. Those who dropped out of the column were never seenagain, but we desperately battled on toward Sheria. There were wells at Sheria. We fought on as menfight for their lives. We entered Sheria on the heels of the retreating Turks. The first objects that met ourview were the great stone cisterns full of cold, clear water. We clamored, we crawled, we scratched ourway to those cisterns. Men fell down and drank on their hands and knees - - on their bellies. It took fourhours before the last man was filled. I learned my first real Bible lesson on that march. If such were ourthirst for God, for His presence in our lives - - how rich the fruit of the Spirit would be.” The Romance ofthe Last Crusade with Allenby to Jerusalem by Major Vivian Gilbert#3 - - We must be willing to pay the price for such a relationship.Personal relationships are “living things” - - and like all “living things,” these relationships must becultivated if they’re to remain healthy.This kind of cultivation must be intentional, deliberate - - and it’s going to always cost us something.Spiritual Habit #1 - - Reading, , studying, and meditating on God’s word“Long for the pure milk of God’s word so that, by means of it, you may grow.” I Peter 2:2Picture of Lon’s original Bible and a picture of a page from it.No one can grow deep in their relationship with God without being a “man/woman of the Book.”Spiritual Habit #2 - - Memorizing scripture“Your word I have hidden in my heart.” Psalm 119:11“Your word is within my heart.” Psalm 40:8Spiritual Habit #3 - - Time spent with God in prayer“Pour out your heart before God.” Psalm 62:8“I have poured out my soul before the LORD. 1 Samuel 1:15“Casting all your cares on Him because He cares for you.” 1 Peter 5:7“Call unto Me and I will show you great and mighty things that you know not.” Jeremiah 33:3Spiritual Habit #4 - - Obedience“To obey is better than sacrifice.” 1 Samuel 15:22“For when I brought your forefathers out of Egypt, I did not give them commands about burnt offerings, butrather I said to them, ‘Obey Me, and I will be your God and you will be my people.’” Jeremiah 7:22“Be doers of God’s word and not merely hearers.” James 1:22Disobedience disrupts our relationship with God.We cannot grow a healthy relationship with God in the “petrie dish” of disobedience.