"Christ in me, the hope of glory!"
I was still a new Christian on a mission/baseball trip with Athletes in Action (part of Campus Crusade for Christ) in the Summer of 1986 when I was first confronted with the truth that I had a choice about how my life would be lead. A choice that would have HUGE ramifications.
Even as a Christian I could choose to live with Christ having a peripheral existence in my life and ME (self) perched on the throne of my life. OR, I could - daily - put Christ on the throne of my life. Let Him drive!
The DIFFERENCE is a Christ-directed life that is full of abundance and victory.
OR, a self driven life that is characterized by guilt, heaviness and loneliness. Everyone of us who is 'in Christ' continually makes this choice. (And I encourage you to check out the same truth that directed me that Summer found here in Have You Made the Wonderful Discovery of the Spirit-Filled Life?)
I was with some pastors recently and we were talking about this verse ('Christ in me . . . ') after I told them what had been on my heart.
Bubba Stahl (Pastor at First Baptist . . . & for the record Bubba is a Godly and Wise man! Not to mention a cool guy! I praise God that he is one of the spiritual leaders in our City!) . . . began talking about John 3:30 where John the Baptist said of Jesus, 'He must increase and I must decrease.'
Now, in the past when I've been confronted with that passage I've gravitated, as many of us, to 'I must decrease.' I must rid my life of selfish thoughts, and my impure heart, and my unholy attitudes. And as some of that can be true, it can also still just be about me! Bubba pointed out that it says FIRST that Christ must increase!
We must focus first not on 'me' and fixing 'me', but on Jesus! And as we focus on Him and are filled with Him, He will squeeze 'me' out! As He comes to occupy the rooms of our lives, 'me' will fade away in the glory of Jesus.
That's my heart folks! That it would be about Jesus and not us! Let us know, how you are focusing on Him, and allowing Him to increase?
Bubba Stahl (Pastor at First Baptist . . . & for the record Bubba is a Godly and Wise man! Not to mention a cool guy! I praise God that he is one of the spiritual leaders in our City!) . . . began talking about John 3:30 where John the Baptist said of Jesus, 'He must increase and I must decrease.'
Now, in the past when I've been confronted with that passage I've gravitated, as many of us, to 'I must decrease.' I must rid my life of selfish thoughts, and my impure heart, and my unholy attitudes. And as some of that can be true, it can also still just be about me! Bubba pointed out that it says FIRST that Christ must increase!
We must focus first not on 'me' and fixing 'me', but on Jesus! And as we focus on Him and are filled with Him, He will squeeze 'me' out! As He comes to occupy the rooms of our lives, 'me' will fade away in the glory of Jesus.
That's my heart folks! That it would be about Jesus and not us! Let us know, how you are focusing on Him, and allowing Him to increase?
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