A Christ-Centered Life

The word Christian is tossed around by folks who occasionally go to church or who know who God is. It’s a word those enslavers used and then used the bible to justify their actions. It’s a word those in politics use even as they would cut the protections or support for those without. It’s the word people use to disassociate themselves from other religions in the world. But what does the term actually mean? The definition is a person who has received Christian baptism or is a believer in Christianity. So, can one believe in Christianity and not have a relationship with Christ? Sure. How many people recognize there is a God? Lots. Of them, many just acknowledge Him, but don’t follow Him or have relationship with Him? Are they better off than those who don’t believe there is a God? For the purposes of this conversation, they are the same. 

Anyone who has not confessed Jesus as Lord, repented of their sins and accepted the gift of salvation (Romans 10:9-10), acknowledging that the only way to the Father is through the Son, is in the same boat – whether they believe there is a God or not (John 14:6). They are still unsaved and if that doesn’t change, will find themselves in a very real Hell upon their physical death. It’s a sad and tragic reality. All this leads to the main topic – living a Christ-Centered life. 

In all our doing, our main responsibility is to be in relationship with God (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) – loving Him first and then loving our neighbor as ourselves (Mark 12:30-31). If we love God first and foremost with everything in us, living Christ-Centered with be our focus. Every thing we do will be to grow closer to Him and to bring God glory – not as an add on, but engrained into every aspect of our lives. We’ll acknowledge that God is our source in everything and give Him thanks for the blessings we have (Rom 11:36). We will find Him even in our biggest challenges (e.g., sickness, financial problems, job loss, deaths, etc.) where we can glorify Him in the way we face our trails. And if we love others as ourselves, we’ll build relationships that will build us up instead of tear us down (1 Thes 5:11). We’ll have someone to share our burdens and not have to carry them alone (Gal 6:2). We were never meant to walk this life alone – God made Eve as a comparable helper for Adam (Gen 2) and Jesus walked and mentored the disciples during His three-year ministry (Mark 3:13-19). 

A Christ-Centered life looks like seeing and talking about the Lord in all things. When we’re blessed in some way – how was His hand in it? When things turn out in a way we don’t necessarily like or we’re hurt – how does God show up? Our attitude? Our behavior? What lesson do we learn?  How do we incorporate the Lord into our actions? Are we the same when no one else is watching? Christ is always watching. Remember if we have truly accepted Jesus, the Holy Spirit is on the inside of us and we take Him where we go. He has a front row seat to us “borrowing” the pens from work or wasting our time or eating that extra piece of cake we said we wouldn’t. 

Leading a Christ-Centered life is one where we spend time with the Lord – in prayer and reading our bible. You will be transformed as your mind is renewed (Rom 12:2). It’s one where we listen for His guidance and instruction instead of going with our gut. It’s where we do what we say we’ll do. It’s one where we recognize He is everything to us. It’s one where we recognize, we can do nothing worthwhile without Him. It’s one where we recognize, we are lost without Him. It’s one where we tell the good news and model what a real relationship with Him looks like. 

Do you want a Christ-Centered life? First, accept Jesus as Savior. Then, make Him the priority. Spend time with Him. Incorporate Him fully into every aspect of your life and your everyday. Build relationships within the body of Christ – once we’re saved, we are all part of His body. And watch the changes in your life. There will still be people and things that let you down and there will still be hard times, but He will be with you through them. You’ll never be alone (Matt 28:20). 

Sharing means Trust

Have you ever thought about your strongest relationships? What makes them strong? It’s more than just the people in the relationship. At the end of the day, you don’t have strong relationships with people you don’t trust. 

So, what is trust? According to the dictionary, trust is firm belief in the reliability, truth, ability, or strength of someone or something. It is not something that is easily given. As we build relationships, we determine who is trustworthy by what they do. Do the people around us gossip about things they’ve been told? If so, we won’t tell them our secrets. Do they put themselves ahead of everyone else? If not, we will be concerned that they only think of themselves and would sacrifice those around them for what they want. All these things affect how much and whether we’ll trust those around us. 

Once we know who we can trust, we share who we are with them. The amount of our sharing is directly proportional to the level at which we trust. We only share our secrets with people we believe will never share them and won’t judge. So, with whom have you built relationships where you can trust with any and every thing? Who are the people who can trust you with any and every thing? If we want people to trust us, we, too, have to be trustworthy (Prov 18:24). 

Of course, the Lord is trustworthy (Psa 25:1-3). We can tell Him anything and He affords us a chance to confess, repent and come to Him with a heart that wants forgiveness and acceptance. We can accept Jesus as personal savior and be accepted for who we are – secrets and all.  And because we are not meant to walk through life alone, He will give us people we can trust as well. 

God loves us so much that He will provide us friends who are closer than brothers (Prov 17:17). Those people we can depend on to listen to us when we hurt; to not judge when we mess up; to pray for us when we are going through and choose to love us in spite of the flaws, issues or scars we carry (1 John 4:7). Who are the people God has blessed you with in this way? I’ve been blessed with a few and I have to say my life is so much richer for having them (Prov 27:17). They help build me up and not break me down. They help to remind me of God’s great love for me. It’s one more example of how God provides exactly what we need. 

Beauty for Ashes

I know this one is a little late but it’s still Sunday somewhere. Have you ever thought about the origin of the Hawaiian Islands. They are the product of lava flow on the bottom of the ocean. They have grown as the lava flowed over many, many years. Parts of the Island chain still sit over the hot spot and continue to grow.  The evidence of this can be found on all the islands but especially the Islands of Maui and Hawaii (AKA “The Big Island”). 

I've been to multiple Hawaiian islands and I have to admit, they are among the most beautiful places on earth. Several of the islands have multiple climates and attributes (rain forests, desert, mountains, etc.). They are amazing. I can understand why some would visit and decide to never leave. However let's get back to the point at hand. Out of molten rock, life and beauty. There are many species of plant and tree and animal that can only be found on the Hawaiian Islands so they couldn’t have been brought from other places. You might think how can this be but I offer you – God.

Science hadn't yet figured out how He did it and I suspect it never will. It reminds how amazing God is. Out of fire and ash He can bring something beautiful. On the “Big Island” where there is still active volcanic activity, you see areas where the lava has been crushed next to resorts and along roads. It is an amazing things to see. Contrast it to the island of Kauai (the “Garden Isle” and the oldest Island in the chain), where there is currently no volcanic activity and hasn’t been for years. Less than 90% of the Island is developed and you can see the beauty God created in His own time there that remains untouched by humans for the most part. Out of the Ashes on Kauai, lushness beyond imagining exists (until you see it for yourself). I imagine it must be similar to what Eden was like. 

If God can do that out of fire and ash after creating a whole world, what can’t He do? Absolutely nothing (Jer 32:27). God can do anything (Matt 19:26). Nothing is impossible (Luke 18:27) with Him and no matter what is going on in our lives He can turn it around and give us beauty for the ashes (Isa 61:1-3) left behind in the destruction of our lives. We just have to let Him. And what I mean is, we have to choose Him and let Him lead us. We must choose His son as Lord and Savior. We will still have tests and trials, but He will be with His children. Those who are not His children are already separated from Him by sin (doing what is contrary to His ways). What do you choose? Life or Separation (death)? 

Growing as a Leader!

I’ve mentioned before that I lead an organization and every day, I’m striving to lead well and help those with whom God has entrusted me.  Every day I think I’m inadequate to hold the position I do. Yes, I’ve been leading for a long time. Yes, I have degrees and experience, but I don’t know everything nor will I ever. I am constantly reminded of my inadequacy with emergencies and situations I’ve never experienced before arise. 

Yes, I lean on my past experience of dealing with similar issues and my knowledge of protocol and procedures, but more than that I lean on the Holy Spirit to direct me. I trust His guidance in speaking with my staff or speaking with my supervisors and senior leaders at work. I have done the work, but He is still working on me. Sometimes I make mistakes, but I don’t try to hide them from my staff – I own them. None of us are perfect and we all need some grace.  

As I strive to be more like Jesus, I strive to lead like Him. To that end, I’ve attended conferences and classes and studied devotionals to teach me how Jesus led. Of course, Jesus loved the disciples and gave them identity as His followers. He spoke into them and called out those things that were not consistent with the character He was building in them. From my reading scripture, there are a few things I’d like to note. 

Out of all the people who followed Jesus, He had a specific group to whom He entrusted the work of ministry. He had an even smaller group who went into the intimate places with Him – Peter, James and John (Matt 17:1; Mark 5:37; Luke 8:51). Much like Him, I have an inner circle. My inner circle advises and provides feedback and experience things first hand with me. They are first ones I send out so that instructions and guidance flow out to everyone else. 

Another thing of note is that Jesus delegated. He gave the disciples authority to do the work and then He delegated assignments to them. He taught and directed and then He sent. He modeled the behavior He wanted to see in them and then He sent them out to do the work (Luke 9:1-2; Mark 6:7). Delegation is something with which I struggle. I am a working manager. There are some things I know I do well. There are things I really like to do. However, I have to remember that as a leader, my job is to develop skills in the people I lead. In order to do that, I sometimes have to give up somethings I like doing. That is painful, but the rewards are great. It builds confidence in the staff. It shows that I trust them. It gives them the ability to learn while having a safety net. It ensures the skills are passed on so they can be amplified. As more people learn skills, synergy is created – you can get more done through others. 

Are you a leader? How are you growing as a leader? Are you intentional? Are you uncomfortable? Are you striving for excellence? Are you self-reflective? Growth is a process and it’s never really easy, but it is so worth it. 

God Provides!

Our Father is a provider. When we come to end of ourselves and lean on Him, we realize He provides what we need when we need it. God never leaves us to our own devices when we seek Him. We may not hear or see Him, but we can stand on the promise that He is working all things out for our good (Rom 8:28). 

As I think you know, I recently moved to the Midwest with no ties to the area. I don’t have any family in the area nor did I know any significant number of people before moving. I felt I was being led to the area and in a desire to be obedient, much like Abraham, I moved to a place that I did not know to fulfill a plan I was unfamiliar with (Gen 12). I am just taking steps as they come to me. I have no real sense of what the future holds, so I just take one small step in front of the other. 

In this move, God has provided for me from the very beginning. First, friends to help me pack...and unpack. Then, help with finding and paying for housing. Help with both selling and purchasing a new house. I can see God’s hand in way too many other things to count. He has been here for it all. He has opened doors no one else could open. God continues to provide for all my needs. 

God’s limitless grace and mercy blows my mind. Even when I’m off the rails, God keeps me. Yes, he will chasten me if warranted (Heb 12:6-7), but He also affords me His mercy. The fact that He continues to love, protect and provide for us speaks to His character as Father. His word says, He will “supply all our need according to His riches in glory (Phil 4:19-20).” Since He doesn’t lie (Num 23:19), I can stand on His word, whether I am well off or living paycheck to paycheck. He will always do what He has said. 

What is He saying to you? What are you standing on? Unlike us, God is faithful to complete whatever He starts (Phil 1:6).