January 2, 2022
“I want to know Christ, yes, to know the power of His resurrection and participation in His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death.” Philippians 3:10 (NLT)
“Work at living in peace with everyone, and work at living a holy life, for those who are not holy will not see the Lord.” Hebrews 12:14 (NLT)
Several years after moving to Michigan I united with a church that was truly a missionary church. The church had a great Soul-Winning, Discipleship, and Training Ministry. We were formally trained to witness to those who had not accepted Christ as Savior and Lord. I was in my late 30’s and it was a blessing as well as a pivotal point in my Christian walk, spiritual growth. One of the things that I learned is that many church-going people are not sure how to live a Christ-Centered life!
Each of our lives has a core or center. It is where all our choices and decisions revolve. There are some who are living for the acquisition of affluence and prosperity which drives their daily choices. For many life centers around the pleasures of life. However, a God-centered life is where our daily decisions are made from within that core or center, which is based upon that which pleases or displeases God. It revolves around the character of God.
We as Believers and followers of Christ who make HIM the center of our lives become more like Him. We reflect on who He is, include Him in the decisions of life and most of all spend time with HIM. We also make Him Lord of our lives obeying His commandments out of love and honor and not from fear of being caught in sin.
Are you living a Christ-Centered Life or a religion-centered life?
The natural heart was designed for worship, and if it does not worship God, it will worship something else. If we are not Christ-Centered, we will be centered on something.
~ A Religion-Centered Life is based upon performance. It is a life that struggles for attention, vainglory, and personal authority. It keeps score and judges itself and others by self-made standards. A good example of a religion-centered life was the Pharisees in Jesus’ day. They were wrapped up in the law. It has been said, “they ate, drank, and slept the Law spouting the rules, codes, and judgments” and Jesus had harsh rebuke for them. They were NOT centered in the love of Christ, they were Law-centered. (Matthew 23:25; Luke 11:42).
~ A Christ-Centered (or Christocentric) Life is one that is committed to Jesus Christ as Lord. It is a life that rests in the finished work of Jesus and revolving around the character of God. Decisions are made from within that center, based upon that which pleases or displeases God, and are not self-centered. There is a holy reverence, a continual awareness that our loving heavenly Father is observing and evaluating everything, how we think, and how we respond. Living a Christ-centered life is based on making decisions based upon the question “would this please the Lord and would this bring glory to His name?”
Remember, we will not be perfect in this life! No one can live a perfect life except Jesus as mentioned in Hebrews 4:15. We are reminded in 1 John 1:8–10, no matter how hard we try or deeply desire a Christ-Centered Life we will stumble, we will fall, we will sin, and make fleshly decisions in moments of weakness and need to be forgiven. The difference in a Christ-Centered person, they cannot endure living in disharmony with God and will quickly confess sin and be restored to fellowship with Him. This process of living in continual harmony with God is called sanctification which is a lifelong process by which God makes us more like His Son, Jesus (Romans 8:29). When we first center our hearts on Him, it is evident in our daily lives.
I believe the greatest desire of Christ-Centered Believers is their heart’s desire is to please God and grow to be more like Him and glorify Him.
A NEW 
HEART: Philippians 3:13. “Friends, don’t get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I’ve got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward to Jesus.” (MSG) Every decision made in this life is weighed on heaven’s scales and evaluated for its eternal relevance.
FATHER GOD: Thank You for the gracious opportunity to know You and a heart that desires to talk to You, in the Precious, Powerful and Preeminent Name of Jesus Christ our Savior and Lord, Amen!