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The Center Holds


Beginning the Year With Christ at the Center


INTRODUCTION — A Question Worth Asking

Every new year invites reflection.

We pause.We reset.We consider change.


But Scripture presses us to ask something deeper than What will I improve?

“See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy… rather than on Christ.”(Colossians 2:8)

The real question is not productivity. It is priority.

Jesus did not come to improve our lives.He came to be our life.

“Christ, who is your life…”(Colossians 3:4)

Christ-centered living is not about adding Jesus to everything else.It is about allowing Him to define everything else. This year begins not with effort but with alignment.


WHAT DOES “CHRIST-CENTERED” REALLY MEAN?

Christ-centered living does not mean:

  • Jesus helps my plans

  • Jesus supports my goals

  • Jesus fixes my problems

It means Jesus leads my life.

“Whoever wants to be My disciple must deny themselves, take up their cross daily and follow Me.”(Luke 9:23)

To follow Jesus is not to consult Him occasionally, it is to orient everything around Him.

“In Him all things hold together.”(Colossians 1:17)

When Christ is central:

  • peace replaces anxiety

  • clarity replaces confusion

  • purpose replaces pressure

The center is not about intensity.It is about lordship.


THE THRONE QUESTION

Every heart has a throne.And something is always trying to sit on it.

Jesus does not compete for space. He reigns where He is welcomed.

“Why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?”(Luke 6:46)

Christ-centered living asks an honest question:

Who is actually ruling my inner world?

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him.”(Proverbs 3:5–6)

A surrendered center produces a steady life.

An unsurrendered center produces constant strain.


WHY WE DRIFT FROM THE CENTER

Most people don’t reject Jesus.They slowly reposition Him.

Drift rarely comes through rebellion.It comes through distraction.

“But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made…”(Luke 10:40)

Good things slowly crowd out the main thing.

Jesus’ invitation remains simple:

“But seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness.”(Matthew 6:33)

Christ-centered living requires intentional return.

“Return to Me, and I will return to you.”(Malachi 3:7)

Not guilt.Not striving.

Just repentance. A re-turning of the heart.


WHAT A CHRIST-CENTERED LIFE PRODUCES

When Christ is truly central, fruit follows naturally.

Not forced fruit.Not religious fruit.Living fruit.

“Remain in Me, as I also remain in you… apart from Me you can do nothing.”(John 15:4–5)

A Christ-centered life produces:

  • peace that surpasses circumstances

  • obedience that is not heavy

  • love that flows, not strains

“Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts.”(Colossians 3:15)

This is not about trying harder.It is about abiding deeper.


CHRIST-CENTERED, NOT SELF-IMPROVED

The world begins the year asking:

How can I be better?

The Kingdom asks:

How can Christ be formed in me?

“My dear children, for whom I am again in the pains of childbirth until Christ is formed in you.”(Galatians 4:19)

Self-improvement is exhausting.Christ-centered living is sustaining.

“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.”(Galatians 2:20)

The goal of this year is not a better version of you it is Christ expressed through you.


A PRACTICAL INVITATION FOR THE YEAR

Christ-centered living is maintained by relationship, not religious pressure.

Three simple rhythms:

1. Daily Surrender

“Not my will, but Yours be done.”(Luke 22:42)

2. Regular Re-Centering

“Be still, and know that I am God.”(Psalm 46:10)

3. Honest Evaluation

“Search me, God, and know my heart… lead me in the way everlasting.”(Psalm 139:23–24)

Simple postures.Deep alignment.


CLOSING — Begin Again at the Center

As this year begins, the Kingdom stands open.

Not as a theory.Not as a religious system.But as a life to receive.

“Come to Me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”(Matthew 11:28)

Jesus is not asking you to fix your life.He is offering to lead it.

So we begin again, not with striving, but with surrender.

“Christ in you, the hope of glory.”(Colossians 1:27)

This year, let Christ hold the center.And when the center holds, everything else finds its place.

 
 
 

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