Is Christ your Life, or Part of your Life
When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.
Colossians 3:4
To find out if Christ is only part of our lives, we will look at what it means for Christ to be all of our life. Once we know what it means for Christ to be our entire lives we can easily determine if Christ is part of our lives. If we have a divided heart, then we haven’t fully surrendered to the Lord and Christ is only part of our life. If this is the case then we are attempting to share the throne with God.
Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. (Luke 16:24) We are disciples of Christ, being molded by God to have the mind of Christ. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. (Galatians 5:25) We become servants of Christ as he guides us through the indwelling Holy Spirit, and we give God control. We step off the throne, putting our faith in God who now becomes active in our life. If Christ is only part of our lives, and we ask God for his blessings without following Christ, then we are essentially asking God to be our servant.
Following Christ means we show people Christ by our words and actions, and tell people the good news about Christ whenever possible. We are being molded to have the mind of Christ so we can live a life like Jesus. We minister first to family, through prayer, family Bible Study, and Christian fellowship. Our second ministry is to those in God’s family, followed by anyone God puts in our path. Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ. (1 Corinthians 11:1) Paul was telling the church in Corinth to imitate him as he was Christ-like with his words and actions. When we follow Christ our heart is driven to minister to the world, because the more of God’s love we reflect to others, the more Christ-like we become.
If entire lives are Christ, is then we are following Christ as he leads us to minister to everyone. Our first concern for people is their spiritual life, but we never neglect their physical lives. What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? (Mark 8:36) Reading God’s Word changes the mind, ministering to people changes the heart. We know that we have come to know him if we keep his commands. (1 John 2:3)
Let Christ be your life, give God control and you will be in control through the power of the Holy Spirit. You will minister to everyone through Godly wisdom with a heart of love and understanding. We pray about everything, letting God guide us, and we have the faith to leave the results in his hands. Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. (Proverbs 3:5-6) If Christ is our entire lives, then surrendering to his will is always our first priority. We know the reason we exist is to serve the Lord pointing people to Christ.
Now examine your life and determine if Christ is part of your life by comparing what it means for Christ to be all of your life. If Christ is only part of our lives and we are not following Christ as his servant, then we could be breaking the first commandment. You shall have no other gods before me. (Exodus 20:3) If we don’t trust the Lord by being his servant and giving him control then we are not pleasing to God. And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. (Hebrews 11:6) We cannot earnestly seek God if he is only part of our life.
Today surrender your life to God and seek to follow the Spirit by showing Christ and speaking the good news whenever possible. Start seeing people’s spiritual needs as well as their physical needs, because if they are not spiritually connected and pleasing to God, there life will be spiritually dead. The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you–they are full of the Spirit and life. (John 6:63)
Prayer: Lord, help me to trust you with my life, and become free in Christ as your servant. Guide me with your love and strength so that I minister to my family, the church, and to the world. Motivate me to minster to the lost world, and to see people as Jesus saw people. Thank you for guiding me through the Holy Spirit. In Jesus name, Amen