What is at the center of the center?

Many Christians say Jesus is the center of their lives, but what if He’s not actually at the center of the center?

In this episode, we examine what it truly means for Christ to be all and have first place in everything according to Colossians 1:18 and Colossians 3:4-11, and why so many believers unknowingly substitute legalism, religious duty, or fear for genuine Christ-centered living. Drawing from Oswald Chambers’ challenge about what we’re truly obsessed with, this episode will help you honestly evaluate whether Jesus is your life or merely a part of it—and what to do if you’ve been turning Him on and off without realizing it.

If you’re serious about authentic Christian discipleship and want to move beyond surface-level faith to making Jesus truly preeminent, this teaching will challenge you to examine what’s really at the core of your spiritual life.

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You Are Obsessed!

Oswald Chambers once stated, “Are you obsessed by something? You will probably say, ‘No, by nothing,’ but all of us are obsessed by something— usually by ourselves, or, if we are Christians, by our own experience of the Christian life. But the psalmist says that we are to be obsessed by God.” ⁽¹⁾

The question is not “Am I obsessed?” rather it should be “What am I obsessed with?”

Is Jesus Truly ALL?

As Christians, we will often throw out the quick answer of “Jesus,” but is He truly our obsession and ALL?

Paul reminds us in Colossians 3:11 that “Christ is all.”

Not some. Not in part. All.

He said earlier in Colossians 3:4, “… Christ, who is our life … “

Again, Jesus is not to be a part of our lives; He is to be our very life.

It is profound to me that Jesus, who is life (John 14:6), has come not just to give us a new life (John 10:10), but to be that very life!

Or, as Paul declared in Colossians 1:18, Jesus is to be preeminent in our lives. He is to have “first place in everything.”

Do you turn Jesus on and off?

It sounds like a strange question, for as God, we cannot turn Him off—but practically, is Jesus truly all in your life … not just when you are at church, but every moment of every day? If Jesus is the center and focus of your life at church, does He hold that same position when you are at work? What about with family? Is it true when you are hanging with friends?

For too many of us, we want to have our “me time” where we disconnect from our spiritual lives—in essence, turning Jesus “off” for a few moments.

But that type of lifestyle isn’t biblical.

Jesus is to be ALL, all the time.

Center of the Center

If we declare Jesus to be the center of our lives, is He actually at the “center of the center”?

I’ve found that too often, even if we say Jesus is the center, if we dig a little deeper, we discover that the center of our “lives in Jesus” is a desire to get something from Him. Or we feel obligated to appease Him if we are going to make it to heaven. Or now that we are Christians, we must do something for Him. So while we say Jesus is the center, it is actually just legalism or religion or duty or fear.

So what is truly at the center of the center of your life?

If it is anything but Jesus Himself, then you are making something other than Christ Jesus our Lord the ultimate center. And biblically, that is called idolatry.

As Christians, it is imperative that we discover what our true obsession and passion is—and repent of anything if it is not Jesus Himself.

FOOTNOTES

(1) ) Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest, June 2.

Photo Credit: Pixel Creative

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Question: Why is it so easy to make something other than Jesus, even good and spiritual things, the center of our lives?

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