Keeping Jesus Central
Today I thought it would be appropriate to do a short message on ‘keeping Jesus central.’ A couple of reasons for this. We must, we need to and we should want to. It seemed sensible as only the other day I had done a short message on keeping the cross central.
The unity between the Father and The Son, God and Jesus Christ was an unbreakable bond of submission to the father. In mind, body and spirit only doing the will of the Father.
Our focus, our duty if we are to be a loyal servant would be to have that same relationship in constant union. We would need to strip everything away that was not of Him and focus only on the things of God. Prayer, worship, studying His word. Making ourselves solely available for the Holy Spirit to lead us in all matters.
Therein lies a problem. Referring to keeping Jesus central to our lives if he is not at the very centre to begin with!
Because that is where He is to be found if we heed His word;
“And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.” This is the first commandment.
And the second, like it is this, “You shall love your neighbour as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these.” Mark 12:30-31.
Heart, Soul, Mind and Strength.
If we really embrace the first, then the second becomes so much easier. Loving your neighbour as yourself can be demanding depending on who your neighbour is at that exact time. It doesn’t specifically mean your actual neighbour, though that is not to say that it doesn’t mean them. So you don’t need to let Christs love flow through you to them, no it means whomsoever needs compassion, the love of Christ, wherever you may go.
Jesus needs to be in our every thought. In our every decision, indeed the scriptures tell us in 2 Corinthians 10:5 “Take every thought captivity to the obedience of Christ.” This may seem a long way off from where you are now or on the contrary very, close, wherever we are, He wants us to draw nearer.
Whether it is our routine, in daily life, in prayer, in conviction, in penitence or confession of our faith to others. In our study of God’s word, we all have to keep moving forward, closer, pressing in to be closer to His presence. Some like Zaccheus will climb the tree and crane their neck to ensure they can get that little bit closer to the very centre that is Jesus Christ.
I recall a time not too long ago, when all I wanted, was to talk and listen about Jesus, whoever’s company I would be in, wherever I went. But people would talk about weather, food, TV, sport, after a few minutes. I would sit there thinking, surely, they are bored of this by now. Can’t we talk about Jesus now? Eyes rolling around in my head trying not to look completely disinterested, let’s talk about Jesus now, the author and perfecter of our faith?
It is said of Jesus in the gospel of Luke 24:27 “And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.” That is to say, the entire Bible is about Him, it all points to Jesus, Our Saviour, Our Lord, Our Messiah.
In John 1:3 we read; “All things were made through Him, and without Him, nothing was made that was made.”
In John 1:10 we read; “He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him.”
In 1 Corinthians 8:6 we read; “yet for us, there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and through whom we live.”
In Colossians 1:16 we read; “For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on the earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him.”
So whether we are looking at or to, Christs deity, His virgin birth, His crucifixion, His blood, His name, His Power, His resurrection, His triumphant return as King and Judge, we will do well to keep Him at the very centre of all our hearts.
Jesus, be the centre
Be my source, be my light
Jesus
Jesus, be the centre,
Be my hope, be my song
Jesus
Be the fire in my heart
Be the wind in these sails
Be the reason that I live
Jesus.
What a beautiful song, what a beautiful name, what a beautiful Saviour we have.
God Bless