But true followers of Jesus know what is supposed to fill the center of our hearts. Our human nature fills us with image-consciousness, self-justification, and all sorts of shortsighted drives and passions, but we need none of that. At least theoretically. Deep down inside, Jesus is our true image, He’s our accomplishment, and He’s our justification. We have no need to rationalize or to impress. We are all about Him.
“. . . that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having the righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ.” (Philippians 3:8-9)
Does this ideal that the Apostle Paul writes about hold true for you? If we’re like most people, we’ve retained elements of the old human nature long after we’ve given our life to Jesus. We feel the need to appear righteous on the outside, to be esteemed by others, and to rationalize our shortcomings. Every time we do that, we are forgetting the purity and perfection of the person of Jesus who justified us and has given us His righteousness. We’ve taken up the tendency, once again, to make a name for ourselves. We’ve lost sight of the fact that our identity is no longer in us; it’s in Him.
This is one of the hardest tendencies for us as believers to break, but it’s essential to do so. We can either be self-made or Christ-made, but not both. We can seek our own identity or forsake our own for His, but not both. We can love our selves or lose them, but not both. It’s A Constant Choice.
Let’s look into our hearts. Let’s ask ourselves those hard questions. Then let’s drop the pose, let’s admit the faults, and let’s embrace Jesus – only Jesus, alone.
Have a Christ-absorbed weekend. Make it better by worshiping Him with others who live as billboards of His life and character because they know there is no better choice.
All For Jesus – Nothing More, Nothing Less, Nothing Else.
Vic Alvarado 