Undivided: The Way God Intended Christians to Live

By Rick Calloway

Undivided is a book specifically written for Christians who desire to live for Christ without any reservation. The book details a biblical plan for what God intended the Christian life to truly be about. When we became Christians, we made the conscious choice to follow God with every aspect of our lives. That decision to follow Christ should be nurtured and protected to keep the world from drawing our hearts away from God.

Author Rick Calloway challenges Christians to live with an undivided heart and loyalty toward God. Undivided gives clear biblical principles and a road map for keeping our hearts pure toward God.

The book is detailed and specific regarding Gods desire that we live with undivided hearts toward him. It also provides a look at how we are to approach our faith, our family, our finances, and the entirety of our lives in relation to Gods plan for our life.

Undivided will inspire you to raise the standard of what your Christian life should be about. The book also will give you insight and hope into a better way to live our lives. The book establishes that the main desire of every Christian should be, as Matthew 22:37 says, to love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.

More than anything, Follow the Leader provides great hope and encouragement for Christians to know that God has great plans in store for them if they will be intentional in committing their lives to him.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Jul 17, 2015
• ISBN: 9781503584976

Rick Calloway

Rick Calloway is the head of school at Metrolina Christian Academy in Indian Trail, North Carolina. Mr. Calloway has overseen the growth of Metrolina from 200 students in 1998 to over 1,200 today. He successfully led the school through accreditation with the Association of Christian Schools International and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. He is also an ordained minister and has served in ministry as well as a Singles minister performing many weddings and premarital conferences. He has worked with thousands of students and families over the years and has gained invaluable experience in the area of family. Rick Calloway has been married to his wife, Karen, for thirty years, and they have three daughters together. He has committed his life to impacting students and families with the life-changing message of Jesus Christ.

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Copyright © 2015 by Rick Calloway.

Library of Congress Control Number:   2015911312

ISBN:   Hardcover   978-1-5035-8499-0

Softcover   978-1-5035-8498-3

eBook   978-1-5035-8497-6

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted

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without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

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and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Scripture quotations marked NKJV are taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. Website

Scripture quotations marked TNIV are taken from the Holy Bible, Today’s New International Version®. TNIV® Copyright © 2001, 2005 by International Bible Society®. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

Rev. date: 07/16/2015

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CONTENTS

Introduction

WHAT SHOULD WE EXPECT?

Chapter One: The Undivided Church

Chapter Two: Radical Christianity

WHO HAS DIVIDED LOYALTIES?

Chapter Three: A Divided Faith

Chapter Four: Divided Finances

Chapter Five: A Divided Family

Chapter Six: Divided Directions

HOW DO WE ATTAIN AN UNDIVIDED HEART?

Chapter Seven: His Way or My Way

Chapter Eight: In His Place

Chapter Nine: Understanding the Faithfulness of God

Chapter Ten: Learning to Fear God

WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?

Chapter Eleven: Knowing What to Do and Doing It

Chapter Twelve: Staying Focused On What Lies Ahead

Chapter Thirteen: Hope and Courage for the Journey

Chapter Fourteen: Happy

Epilogue: What God Intended

DEDICATION

This book is dedicated to my three daughters Lindsay, Katie, and Madison. You girls have brought such joy to my heart and laughter to my soul. I will be forever be proud of all that you are and your passion for Jesus. Always remember that God has great plans for your life and my prayer is that each of you will have the time of your life chasing after our great God!

INTRODUCTION

Teach me your way, LORD, that I may rely on your faithfulness; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name

Psalm 86:11

In 1953, the late great country singer Hank Williams Sr. wrote and recorded a song entitled "Your Cheating Heart." One line in that song has always caught my attention upon hearing it. That line is "Your cheating heart will tell on you."

Truth is, when you are not faithful in any human relationship it shows. A cheating heart does essentially tell on itself by its everyday actions. A wandering heart will not love completely or unconditionally nor will it serve lavishly or unselfishly. It is in essence divided up into portions or pieces and everyone associated with a person this divided will know what is going on. Their heart has told on them.

This same situation holds true for the Christian life. God has commanded us in Matthew 22:37 that we are to love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, however, totally committed Christians are so hard to find in the culture in which we live.

How do I know this to be true? Our cheating evangelical hearts have told on us. For one, high percentages of teenagers and college students all across this country who have grown up in church are walking away from the faith. In addition, less than 10% of adults in this country live with a Biblical worldview.

The real issue going on in our culture today is that so many people who claim to be followers of Christ have a divided heart. What do I mean by a divided heart? Let me explain the concept of a divided heart with the example of a freshly baked apple pie.

Normally, a pie is to be shared by several people. With that in mind, you cut slices of the pie to give for each person present to enjoy. For this example, the pie is the entirety of our lives. In my thinking, a divided heart is like a pie of which God gets a slice, the spiritual slice of the pie. To make matters worse, God is confined to that slice alone and that keeps Him out of the other areas of our lives.

We have all heard the statement made in this country that we are to keep church and state separate. The idea of a divided heart takes that concept further with individuals who claim the name of Christ but deny His Lordship over their lives. Can you imagine if we held that same mentality in our earthly marriages?

I have been married to my wife Karen for almost 30 years. I cannot imagine telling her that when I am with her I am committed to her but when I am away from her what I do is none of her concern. I am confident that this would go over like a lead balloon at a swimming party.

Our culture desperately needs to see a generation of believers who will demonstrate what it looks like to live sold out, committed Christian lives. God never called those who believe on His name to live with divided hearts and loyalties. His design was that we would have "No other gods before Him."

In Psalm 86:11, the psalmist provides the formula that we need to live committed Christian lives. The verse declares: Teach me your way, LORD, that I may rely on your faithfulness; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name

This book is written to help illustrate the truth of that verse for our lives. The Bible does have a detailed plan for living with a heart that seeks after God and God alone. Undivided will help you discover real meaning and real significance for your Christian life.

I am convinced that God never intended for His children to live defeated Christian lives. With that thought in mind, my prayer is that this book will help you answer three questions.

What is your relationship with Christ like?

Is God the essence of your life or a part?

Could there be more to your Christian life than what you are experiencing?

As you read this book, I pray that the truth of God’s Word and the power of His Spirit will lead you into the most vibrant and exciting days of your Christian life. Psalm 30:11best illustrates my prayer for those who read this book when it declares:

You have turned my mourning into joyful dancing. You have taken away my clothes of mourning and clothed me with joy.

May God give you an undivided heart and unspeakable joy!

SECTION ONE

What Should We Expect?

CHAPTER ONE

The Undivided Church

God’s purpose in all this was to use the church to display his wisdom in its rich variety to all the unseen rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.

Ephesians 3:10

Expectations

One of my favorite places to go eat is the Bonefish Grill. I especially like the Bang Bang shrimp that is served there. I love the combination of spices and sauce that the shrimp are prepared with. However, what sets the dish apart is the quality of the shrimp itself. I have expectations when I go the Bonefish Grill about the Bang Bang shrimp. It is also important to note that this appetizer is around $10 which is a little pricey but well worth the cost.

Can you imagine how I would feel though going to the Bonefish Grill and ordering this appetizer only to be served shrimp from Captain D’s? I would clearly not be happy when I receiving a far inferior product. My expectations would not be fulfilled with this type of experience and the likelihood of me returning to this restaurant would not be great.

Life is disappointing when our expectations are not fulfilled. This is especially true in the 21st century when we live in such a consumer driven society. We want to be served well, entertained thoroughly, and treated as royalty in all that we do. If a product or a service disappoints us, we most times feel that is our duty to make a change so that our expectations can be met.

After all, everything in our world today shouts the message that we deserve the best life has to offer. How do I know this? Well, you need look no further than the advertising campaigns out there today to see this truth. Ads such as You deserve a break today, You’re worth it, Have it your way, and Your potential, Our Passion are some of the messages out there that help to build our expectations as consumers.

This mindset is also prevalent in how we think about church. The consumer mindset has invaded every aspect of the church experience. If the church service is not all that we think it should be, we complain and often times decide to try something else that may suit our fancy. It is clear that the expectations of those who attend church are high in regards to what they perceive as a quality experience.

Not only the church, but I believe that the expectations of what the Christian life has changed very dramatically. Somewhere in the last fifty years the doctrine of Christianity has become all about doing what’s best for each individual believer. The expectation of believers’ today seems focused on the idea of people finding happiness and fulfillment in all aspects of their lives.

Indeed, people’s expectations of the Christian life experience are high. However, the real question is whether any of those expectations of individual believers or the reality of what happens in most churches on Sundays is Biblical or not. Is what we are experiencing as Christians in our lives and in church a much divided approach to Christianity? Is the modern church following the Biblical model set forth in Scripture or does it also exhibit a divided heart? In this chapter, we will look at the state of the modern church and compare it to the Biblical model found in the book of Acts.

The State of the Modern Church in America

When you read the New Testament, you see the Holy Spirit was supposed to change everything so that this gathering of people who call themselves Christians had this supernatural element about them.

– Frances Chan

The modern church in America seems to be on the leading edge in regards to gifted speakers, big buildings, incredible music, orchestrated services, state of the art technology, and more. The church has utilized and copied much of the business world’s approach to customer or guest service. In addition, the church has leaned heavily on church growth experts, leadership gurus, and consulting firms to hone our mission and vision in an effort to attract people to our churches. On the surface, none of this is necessarily bad. In fact, the church should be excellent in all that it does.

Modern Church leaders spend a great amount of time looking at research in an attempt to discover what people are looking for in a church. It seems as if numbers are the measuring stick for success in church today. I have always loved studying the first three chapters of the Book of Revelation. In those chapters, Jesus writes to seven churches and He reveals to them what they have done well but more importantly what they are lacking. I believe that these letters are His warnings or wake up call to the church in these last days. What I find interesting is that Jesus never admonishes the church for its size but more often for its love relationship or lack thereof.

Even still, we have great debates on what style of music should be used in our worship services. The debate has also raged in regards as to whether or not church should be more traditional or contemporary. We even debate whether church should look like church or not. I love what Charles Swindoll says about whether church should look like church or not. He says then what should it look like? If you go to the doctor with a serious problem do you want your doctor to look like a clown?

In fact, it can be downright discouraging as a believer to see each side of this debate throwing stones at each other in an effort to demonstrate who has the right approach. It is clear that the modern church has worked hard at trying to stay relevant in a culture that clearly has lost its way, Biblically speaking.

The big question should be "Is it working? George Barna and David Kinnaman recently wrote a book entitled Churchless which brings in question