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One of the things my hubby pastor says frequently “I need to preach Christ”. That means regardless of the scripture passage being used, Christ is to be preached. He is central to the entirety of scripture. He is woven throughout the fabric of our history, from the beginning of the world until it’s very end. Christ is always to be found.
Therefore, Christianity is Christ. This is the central theme of this chapter from the Faith-Shaped Life.
Throughout the gospels this truism is seen most clearly. Jesus doesn’t tell people in Matthew 11 to some other being in order to find rest. He says “come to me all you who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”. He calls people to himself.
Jesus was very much aware that he was the answer to people struggling with the affects of sin in their lives.
It’s so True
Consider how God took care of all the details when his Son died. How he made sure all scripture was fulfilled, that Jesus had a witness, and more. God gave us his everything. So we have EVERYTHING… not just what we need, but everything possible. It’s all tied up in Jesus.
In John 15 Jesus tells us that he is the vine and we are the branches. He is the ONE that gives us the life that we need to flourish.
This means that if we are struggling, the first thing that we must do is turn to Jesus. We need to look to him for the answers.
And wow.. it’s so easy to forget that eh? We find ourselves down in the dumps and what do we do? Everyone has their own thing.
I know what I do! I make myself busy and force myself to be involved in the world around me.. even if all I want to do is curl into a ball and stay away from the world. But that’s not turning to Christ first. That’s me making decisions about what I think I need to do. It’s the same advise I give to others who struggle. Stay involved, don’t shut yourself away, community is there for a reason.
When perhaps, if I turned to Christ first, if I looked to him for the answers, he might have another solution for me. A solution that would be better in the long run instead of a short term solution. If instead of losing myself in an electronic game, tv show or book. That instead, I took a walk and spent time just talking with God. Or spent time perusing scripture.
I need to remember when I am struggling to look to Jesus. In him I can find the solution I need. How about you?
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