Devoted

by Arron Chambers

Being a disciple of Jesus is an issue of devotion rather than duty. Before Peter began the most important act of his life—discipleship—Jesus didn’t ask him, “How many chapters of the Torah did you read today?” or “Are you attending services at the synagogue each week?” or “Did you give your tithe today?” No, before Peter began his journey of discipleship, Jesus asked him, “Do you love Me?” Arron Chambers thinks that we are asking new disciples of Christ the wrong questions and that it’s time to start truly following the example of Christ by asking of disciples what Christ asked of devotion, not duty. In Devoted, Arron presents a new paradigm for falling in love with Jesus. This approach to discipleship emphasizes passion for Jesus as opposed to a plan for following Jesus.

Genres: Nonfiction

273 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 1, 2014

About the author

Arron Chambers, author of Running on Empty: Life Lessons to Refuel Your Life (Life Journey, 2005), Scripture to Live By (Adams Media, 2007), and Remember Who You Are! (Standard Publishing, July 2007), Yendo Con El Tanque Vacío (Spanish Translation of Running on Empty--Zondervan, November 2007), Go! (Standard Publishing, July 2009), and Eats With Sinners (Standard, November 2009) is the Lead Minister of Journey Christian Church in Greeley, Colorado.

He is also an Adjunct Professor at Florida Christian College, Contributing Editor and Blogger for The Christian Standard, President & Founder of Tri Life, Inc., a triathlete, an inspirational speaker who speaks to thousands of people each year, husband of a lovely wife, and the father of 4 beautiful kids.

Arron is also the Executive Producer and on-air host of the prime-time TV program, Enjoy the Journey with Arron Chambers. Arron holds the following degrees: Master of Arts (Church History/Theology): Abilene Christian University, May 2000; Bachelor of Theology: Florida Christian College, May 1993; Bachelor of Arts (Major-Preaching; Minor-Counseling): Florida Christian College, May 1992.

Reviews

[G. Salter · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very fascinating - as well as entertaining and practical book- about what it looks like to live as a Christian who has a loving relationship with God, not just following the church crowd or doctrinal rules.

I would definitely recommend this to new Christians just learning what it means to have a relationship with God, and while it's explicitly geared towards new believers I would recommend it to experienced Christians as well - I've officially been a Christian since I was six years old, and I got great new insight and direction on how to have a better relationship with God.

[Laura Langley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Arron Chambers latest book, Devoted, challenges readers to stop thinking about being disciples of Jesus who follow rules and regulations, but to think of themselves as devotees who are fanatically in love with Jesus, presenting some radical thoughts concerning discipleship for many of today’s churches.

Chambers says, “True discipleship is not about what you do; it’s about whom you love.” Instead of focusing on getting new believers in Jesus to go through the motions of church attendance, service, prayer, Bible study, and more, Chambers says we must focus on helping new believers to fall more in love with Jesus–to be devoted to Jesus. Those other things will happen as a natural by-product of loving Jesus more, he seems to say.

Devoted certainly challenges readers in their thinking and motivation, and if nothing else, to fall more in love with Jesus. Chambers tries to accomplish that goal by encouraging readers to approach the book differently than normal. In the back of the book, he presents a “40 Day Devoted Experience, ” to help readers fall more in love with Jesus, exploring the topics in the rest of the book in a guided fashion.

Another plus is that Chambers provides a list of questions for small group Bible study to accompany the book, available for free at www.devotedbook.com.

While I agree that discipleship is a matter of the heart, I think Chambers simplifies the process a bit much and I’m still chewing on some of the things he presented in the book. And I guess that’s a good thing. All in all, though, this book is worth the read. It challenges you evaluate your relationship with Jesus and encourages you to fall in love with Him more deeply.

* Note: I received a copy of the book from NetGalley for this review; however, the opinions expressed in the review are my own.

[Doug Dale · Rating 4 out of 5]

This wasn't the book I was expecting and it sounds like it wasn't what Arron Chambers set out to write. I really appreciated the result, though. It's a book about discipleship that is not focused on doing things, but on loving Jesus. I live in the community where Arron pastors and I've seen how his church demonstrates the love of Jesus to the city. What you have in his book is a much needed reminder that this has to start in the hearts of every believer and their love for Christ. There are too many that make the Christian life into a long sequence of activities and expectations and lose hold of the relationship we have with our Savior, Jesus. This book is a great place for a new believer to start out or for an 'old' believer to be reminded of what comes first.

[Rob O'Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the best practical introductions to discipleship that I have read. It flows like a conversation, as if Chambers is your own personal spiritual mentor. He writes with a punch that is rarely seen in devotional material, a punch that makes his point -- Christians are to be devoted to Christ. It is action-oriented and future-looking.

This book is intended to be paired with Chambers' previous book *Eats with Sinners*. That book is meant to introduce people to Jesus, and this book is intended to provide guidance following baptism and commitment to a Christian congregation or faith group. It does, however, not need to be paired and will make a wonderful study on its own.

[Jessie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I met Arron at an author event at the Navigators headquarters. We exchanged books, and I signed his copy "Thanks for changing my life" (or some such). We joked about it then, but after reading Devoted, the inscription was somewhat prophetic. :-) Though I think this book would be best geared toward newer Christians, there are some great points and illustrations that have had me chewing on my own devotion to Jesus in the month since finishing it. A great read!