CENTRED

"I am the Vine, you are the branches. he who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing" – John 15:5

The Ordered Life is a Christ-CENTRED Life! The fulcrum of the Ordered Life is Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and in His finished work of redemption. He is the Vine; we are the branches. A branch detached from the Vine is useless. Paul’s life was Christ-centred. He said: “That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His suffering, being conformed to His death” (Phil3:10). Again, he declared: “For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified” (1Cor.2:2). The "Christ-centered" is a lot easier to talk about than to live because in the mundane moments of daily living, many other things compete with Christ for center stage. We can view the Christ-centered life from four perspectives: Source, Motive, Goal, and Hope.

A Christ-centered life begins with realizing that the Lord Jesus Christ is the SOURCE of all that I am and have. He created me in His image and likeness (Gen.1:26-28). He owns me, gifted me with talents, authors my story, and every blessing that I receive comes from Him (Acts 17:26, Jam. 1:17). He is also the Source for my daily righteousness. I have no innate desire or moral ability to live up to biblical standards on my own; but in Christ, I have everything I need for godly living (2 Pet 1:3).

Christ is my MOTIVE – He is the Motivation for everything I think, say and do. Many believers leave little room for Christ in their Christianity. Their ability to “keep the law” or pride in religious tradition is what defines their faith, not the Person of Jesus. I ask myself: Is my Christianity intimate, personal, and motivated by relationship with the Lord? Do I press to know Christ more? (Phil 3:10) Do I long to be part of His work? Do I want to please Him? Do I want to manifest His character?

A Christ-centered life has one ultimate GOAL: that Jesus gets the glory. It's not wrong to pursue personal goals, but the glory of Christ is the orienting compass that gives direction to all others. Wanting Christ to be known, honored, worshipped and obeyed, I submit every other attainable goal to him. My choices and decisions are no longer controlled by selfish desires, but by divine desires deriving from His love: “For the love of Christ constrains us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died; and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again” (2 Cor. 5:14-15).

A Christ-centered life is hinged on unfailing HOPE: I put all our eggs in the basket of the Lord. I know that this life is not all there is, and that time will give way to eternity: “If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable” (1 Cor 15:19, Rev 21:4). A Christ-centered life is more than just a ticket out of hell. I have hope in the here and now, because Christ has promised His presence and grace until I get home.

We are not to simply imitate Jesus Christ, but to allow His life manifest in our mortal being (Gal.2:20). In many instances, God orchestrates circumstances and brings us into tough places where we either manifest the Christ life or be cowards who cave in to carnality and deprive God of glory. Unfortunately, many Christians are either self-centred or religious-centred. Ask yourself: Is my life Christ-centered? Is Christ my Source for life? Does He motivate everything I do? Is His glory my goal? Is He my Hope, for time and for eternity? Although a lot competes for center stage in our hearts, Jesus accepts and forgives us when He is not at the center. He patiently walks with us and fights for us as we make Him the Fulcrum and Focus of our life!