Will you make Jesus the center of your life? I believe the Lord regularly asks us this. Our faith life is a journey and striving to keep Jesus at the center of our life is a battle. Like a garden, our heart continually needs to be guarded, or it grows weeds. Then Jesus is no longer the center of our life.
Is the Lord pruning away things to help you make Him the center of your life? Like a good Shepherd, the Lord always needs to lead us back because we continually drift away from Him. I can be thankful in my life for the ongoing work of the Holy Spirit, who never tires of drawing me back like a parent with a small child.
Jesus Processes to Jerusalem
As Jesus comes into Jerusalem for the last time leading up to the crucifixion, He is riding humbly on a donkey. The people line the streets as He passes by. Mark 11:8Many in the crowd spread their garments on the road ahead of him, and others spread leafy branches they had cut in the fields. 9 Jesus was in the center of the procession, and the people all around him were shouting, “Praise God! Blessings on the one who comes in the name of the Lord! [1]
Jesus rode down as the center of the possession and was well received. The question is, “Was He the center of their life?” Some of those present realized they wanted to follow Jesus. This would lead them to make Him the center of their lives. The Lord was giving them a fantastic opportunity. The Lord gives us an amazing opportunity each day to come to Him and make Him the center of our life with His help. Only with His help are we remotely capable of making Jesus the true center of our life.
The Lord Helps Us Forgive
Corrie Ten Boom was a true believer in Jesus but had her faith tested more than once. Was Jesus truly the center of her life, or were they just words? In World War II, the Nazis put her in a terrible prison camp because she hid Jews in their home. Only faith in Jesus allowed her to forgive someone who had hurt her while in the camp.
Corrie said, “At that moment when I was able to forgive, my hatred disappeared. Forgiveness is the key that unlocks the door of resentment and the handcuffs of hatred. It is a power that breaks the chains of bitterness and shackles of selfishness. What a liberation it is when you can forgive.”[2]
When we endeavor to make Jesus the center of our lives, His plan for our lives unfolds uniquely. John 15:16 You didn’t choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name. 17 This is my command: Love each other. [3]
Will you make Jesus the center of your life? To hear more, listen here:
https://podpoint.com/light-of-christ-church-podcast/mark-ride-on-king-jesus
[1,3] Tyndale House Publishers. (2015). Holy Bible: New Living Translation (Mk 11:8–9). Tyndale House Publishers.
[2] https://craigtowens.com/2021/03/17/10-quotes-from-the-ten-booms/