Jesus Christ Is at the Center. Let's Live Like It.

Jesus Christ is at the center of creation in general and the church in particular. This is an objective reality. At the most basic level it is both true and truth.

Paul tells us:

He (Jesus Christ) is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities — all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross. (Colossians 1:15-20)

As followers of Jesus, we face the challenge each day of living out a Christ-centered reality. He has, after all, given us great gifts and also made radical claims upon our lives. We happily submit to his Lordship over salvation. However, in the day-to-day comings and goings of life we may fail to live as though Christ is in fact where he is - at the center.

On a day by day basis what are some of the things that we can and should be doing to display the fact of Jesus' position at the center of our existence?

The joyful answer is that God has not made this complicated for us. We do not have to wonder what his expectations are. The only difficult part lies in carrying them out.

Below are seven simple yet profound things we can do to show the world that Jesus Christ is the center point our our lives:

1. Obey Christ's commands. This one is not generally popular, but it shows that we are his disciples.

2. Encourage other believers to obey Jesus' commands. All disciples of our Lord will obey him (if imperfectly).

3. Love others sacrificially. This one hurts sometimes, especially when we do not receive love in return.

4. Accept suffering as normal. While this point won't surprise many believers around the globe, it continues to shock us residents of the good ole USA.

5. Give generously. Jesus owns it all; let's allow it to flow freely through our fingers to those in need.

6. Make disciples. Closely related to number two above, Jesus expects us to help his followers mature.

7. Encourage an active church. Rejecting passivity, let's exhort other believers to actively follow after Jesus in every area of life.


The above is a fairly basic list. We could add twenty more to it without much difficulty. The problem is that the church here in America is weak in even these seven. Let's do our part to show that Jesus sits at the very hub of our existence by carrying these out. The church has to start somewhere.