The Bible rightly gives much attention to Jesus Christ. For although the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ (John 1:17). As the revealer of truth, Jesus does what no one else could, He accurately makes God known to humanity (John 1:18). The exposure of God which comes through Jesus is unparalleled by anything or anyone in all creation. This is because Jesus Christ is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature (Hebrews 1:3). Therefore, it is right for Christians to proclaim the excellencies of Christ (1 Peter 2:9).
More than anything else, over the past two years we have learned how easy it is for God’s people to become completely distracted from Christ. With the many loud and passionate voices demanding prominence, we are to take care with one another not to speak or do things which could develop an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God (Hebrews 3:12). We, like the authors of Scripture, know how easy it is to become hardened by the deceitfulness of sin (Heb 3:13) which leads our affections away from Christ. For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end (Heb 3:14).
To refine and strengthen our faith we consider Jesus (Heb 3:1); giving our thoughts, our songs, our time, and our desires to knowing the Lord Jesus Christ. As the apostle Paul testified, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord (Philippians 3:8). Instead of allowing worldly thoughts and attitudes to dominate, we give ourselves to being transformed by the renewal of our minds (Rom 12:2) to knowing Christ.
As those called to belong to Jesus Christ (Rom 1:6), we Christians elevate Christ to the highest place in our hearts and lives. We resonate with God’s testimony of Jesus, declaring; “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, the scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your kingdom. 9 You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions” (Hebrews 1:8-9). Jesus is qualified to reveal the Father to us because Jesus is one with the Father, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped (Philippians 2:6). Only Jesus could truthfully say, “I and the Father are one” (John 10:30). Jesus, who is God over all, blessed forever (Romans 9:5), is the Sovereign we yield our affections to.
While God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, 2 in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world (Hebrews 1:1-2). In centering our thoughts on Jesus, we see that He is the source of our being, He is our creator. All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made. 4 In him was life… (John 1:3-4). As the One who is life in himself (John 5:26), He speaks living creatures into being. All created things are the expression of Christ’s creative power and sovereign will.
May we be truly Christ centred, Christ focused in the routines of life. May the name of our Lord Jesus be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ (2 Thessalonians 1:12).
To be continued…
