Make Jesus the Center of Your Life
Crucial Times to Hang Close to Jesus
Overcoming life challenges often depend upon who you’re with. For instance, me and Dr. J will take you on with basketball. Or Van Gogh and I will paint you a valuable picture. Arnold Schwarzenegger and I will challenge you to a tug of war contest. Or John Wayne and I will defeat all the outlaws. To get your spiritual life going, stick close to Jesus through any and all difficult times. He’ll do things like lead you, remove roadblocks, destroy spiritual enemies, and sharpen your vision.
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Stick close to Jesus through embarrassment.
Mark 14:3, “And while He was in Bethany at the home of Simon the leper, and reclining at the table, there came a woman with an alabaster vial of very costly perfume of pure nard; and she broke the vial and poured it over His head.”
Imagine the scene. Everything’s going fairly well. They’re gathered together in a house with a nice banquet, sitting and visiting with Jesus. It’s the sort of intimate conversation we’d all like to have with Him. And suddenly, a woman of questionable background comes into the house and makes a big scene. She breaks a jar of perfume and pours it, dripping down Jesus’ head, embarrassing and even shocking those around Jesus. But what did He think? “Let her alone; why do you bother her? She has done a good deed to Me,” He said.
When are We Embarrassed?
First, when another person’s devotion to Christ looks different than our own. They do things we don’t in how they pray or praise. Maybe they’re too emotional or very structured and formal. We can be embarrassed by how others act out their faith.
We can also get embarrassed by the company Jesus keeps. When people come to belief in Jesus Christ, no matter what they were before, we expect they’ll become normal, certainly pleasant, even perfect folks, just like you and me. But they aren’t always. They may look or do things differently. We can be uncomfortable around the people He calls.
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Stick close to Jesus during steps of obedience.
Mark 14:16, “And the disciples went out, and came to the city, and found it just as He had told them; and they prepared the Passover.”
During Passover the disciples asked Jesus, “Where are we going to celebrate?” Jesus said, “It’s simple, fellas, I want you to go to town and when you see a guy walking by with a jug of water, you just follow him until he enters a house. Then, you knock on the door and ask him, “Where’s the room?” So, they did this. And they found it just as Jesus said.
It must have been a bit awkward to follow this man with the water. Then someone had to knock on the door and say, “Hey, you don’t know me, we’ve never met, but we want to use your biggest room for this party.” Sometimes it can be awkward following the steps God lays out for us. We’re not always convinced the action will produce results. And we want shortcuts. Few want to do all the work required to do a job right. But that’s what it means to stick close to Jesus.
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Stick close to Jesus during times of betrayal.
Mark 14:18, “And as they were reclining at the table and eating, Jesus said, ‘Truly I say to you that one of you will betray Me—one who is eating with Me.’”
Those around us sometimes betray Christ, such as when their own standards of personal holiness are discarded. They say, “I know I should be this way but I’m not going to.” And they continue to do things they know are biblically wrong and betray Christ. Yet we must stick close to Christ ourselves. That’s especially difficult if that other person is our spiritual crutch. We’ve been depending on them to pull us up and all of a sudden, they let us down.
Another time of betrayal happens when known spiritual truth gets twisted to meet one’s own desires. Someone around you justifies what they’re doing by putting a different slant to a previous accepted biblical principle. It’s surprising how many immoral actions have been justified as being scriptural. When a person does that, they betray Christ. Stick close to Jesus instead.
A person betrays Christ when they fail to keep a covenant, the agreement they made with God. We can make grand promises. “Lord, I’m going to do this for you.” We say this when we want something or after God does a powerful thing in our lives. “Lord, I’m going to give this to you. I’m going to serve you by teaching this class or take on this job for you.” When that covenant is broken, Christ has been betrayed. But in the midst of others’ betrayal, we must stick close to Jesus.
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Close to Jesus During Communion
Mark 14:24, “And He said to them, ‘This is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out, shed on behalf of many.’”
It’s possible to take communion as just a ritual and never be close to Jesus. Pray to be conscious of His presence. Focus on Him. Some ways to make sure that happens.
- Make communion a time of repentance. Say to yourself, “Lord, be here with me …” And examine your life during the last month. What brings you shame? During a replay, what would you want to say, “Now, don’t look at this part.” Bring those things to Jesus. “Lord, I’m sorry. Here I am and this is what I did.”
- Communion also needs to be a time of reflection. Take that piece of bread and say, “Christ’s body was broken for me.” With the liquid say, “This is Christ’s blood shed for me.” Jesus had to die so you could live.
- Make communion a rededication, starting over. Made mistakes? Say, “Lord, I’m ready to get going again.” Get a fresh, new start.
- Stick close to Jesus through denial.
Mark 14:30, “And Jesus said to him, ‘Truly I say to you, that you yourself this very night, before a cock crows twice, shall three times deny Me.’”
Peter insisted, “Lord, I’ll always be here for You. I’ll never desert You even if everybody else does.” Yet, Peter stood around the fire after Jesus’ arrest and on three different occasions claimed he never even knew Jesus. And when He looked into Jesus’ face and realized what He’d done, he ran out and wept.
Sometimes that’s us. We’re the ones who betray Him. Even during those times, we need to, as soon as possible, run back to Him. Denial affects your whole life, certainly your emotions. Return to the situation of denial and reaffirm your faith in Christ. Peter should have done that. He should have turned back to the courtyard and said, “Wait a minute, you’re right. I knew Him. He is my Savior, my Master, and my Lord.” And then wait humbly for Christ’s affirmation.
He did do that eventually. And Jesus said, “You’ve still got a ministry to do, Peter. I need you out there instead of sitting around feeling sorry for yourself.”
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Also, stick close to Jesus through distress.
Mark 14:34, “And He said to them, ‘My soul is deeply grieved to the point of death; remain here and keep watch.’”
Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane was troubled, anxious in His soul to the point of death, a time of great distress for Him. He thought about what needed to be done the next day. More than the persecution of the Romans or the nails in His hands on the cross, He knew He’d be torn apart from His Father. This experience He’d never had before, nor have any one of us, nor will we ever if we’re in Christ. This caused Him excruciating anguish. At times we need to hurt with Jesus.
There’s a song, “When I Think of the Cross, It Moves Me Now.” We should grieve when we realize Jesus the perfect Son had to be separated from the Father because of us and our sins. At the same time, the thought of an empty cross, a resurrected Jesus can bring great joy.
We also ought to hurt with Jesus when we see so many lost people in the world. Jesus said He saw them as desperate, wandering sheep without a shepherd. He had compassion for them. He hurt for the multitudes. We ought to care about them too. Instead, we often feel offended by their words and actions and appearance.
In addition, we need to hurt when Father God fails to receive proper honor. Jesus cast out money changers in the temple because His Father didn’t get the honor He deserved in His own house. We should be bothered whenever He doesn’t receive proper recognition and praise.
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Stick close to Jesus through danger.
Mark 14:50, “And they all left Him and fled.”
They said they’d stand by Jesus. Then He asked them to stay close, to watch, and pray. Instead, they all ran away—John and Peter, James and Matthew, every last one deserted Him.
How do we stay close to Jesus through danger? Some situations get tough. You want to escape, to get out of there.
- Count the cost for spiritual purposes, not just you, personally. How will your action affect the kingdom of God?
- Relax about what you need to say or do. You don’t have to know ahead. God will tell you when the time comes in the tough situation.
- Be the one to turn out the lights. At every meeting of any organization you’re involved in, somebody sticks around when everyone else leaves. They close the doors, shut the windows, throw the locks, and turn out the lights. Commit to being that person in tough situations. When it’s all settled, when the work’s completed, you’re the one who stays to the end, to make sure everything’s done right.
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Stick close to Jesus through accusations.
Mark 14:60, “And the high priest stood up and came forward and questioned Jesus, saying, ‘Do You make no answer? What is it that these men are testifying against You?’”
Jesus stood trial during His time as a human on earth. And He’s still on trial today. People accuse Jesus of all sorts of things. But you aren’t called to defend Jesus, only to testify, to be a witness of what you experience.
In John 9:25, a former blind man said, “Whether He is a sinner, I do not know; one thing I do know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see.”
We don’t have to be theological experts or biblical scholars. We say, “This is what Jesus has done in my life. I was blind and now I see. I was lost and now I’m saved.”
Ask some penetrating questions.
Nicodemus said to the Pharisees, “Our Law does not judge a man, unless it first hears from him and knows what he is doing, does it?” (John 7:51)
The Sanhedrin Supreme Court tried Jesus without Him there. They accused Him of all sorts of things and threatened to arrest Him. And Nicodemus stood up. “Now, wait a minute,” and asked a penetrating question. He made them stop and think, even though he didn’t change their minds.
If someone says, “Well, Jesus was a good, moral teacher,” ask, “If that’s all He is, then why did He claim to be the only way to heaven?”
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Stick close to Jesus through guilt.
Mark 14:72, “And immediately a cock crowed a second time. And Peter remembered how Jesus had made the remark to him, ‘Before a cock crows twice, you will deny Me three times.’ And he began to weep.”
Peter began a long process of feeling very guilty. Sometimes guilt can pile up. Here are some helps for sticking close to Jesus during such times.
First, don’t turn to penance alone. Don’t just go do a good deed for God. Turn to God to forgive you because of who He is, and what Jesus did, not what you do.
Second, don’t forget how guilty you feel. Paul said in Corinthians, “I am the least of the apostles. I’m not even worthy to be called an apostle because I persecuted the church.” Paul was forgiven. God didn’t hold it against him. However, Paul didn’t forget the consequence of his sins.
Third, don’t fail to learn the lesson. Guilt has a purpose. Guilt is a good thing, like pain. If you had no pain, you’d damage yourself all the time. How come lepers lose their fingers and appendages? Because they lose pain. They can’t feel when they stub themselves or get stuck by things like knives. Guilt is the pain of our soul. Let it work its full effect, its good. And remember that Jesus stays close to the brokenhearted.
Working Through Guilt
Jesus talked to Peter after the resurrection (John 21). Peter had a lot of guilt, but he hadn’t worked it through. Jesus said, “Do you love me?” And Peter replied, “Yes, I do.” Three times they repeated this. Then, Jesus told him, “Then shepherd, tend, and feed my lambs, my sheep.” Jesus worked him through all that shame and guilt by forcing an affirmation and giving him an assignment.
The same’s true when you’re going through times of denial, of betrayal of those around us, of danger and distress, as well as accusations and embarrassment. In order to keep your spiritual life going during tough times, stick close to Jesus.
Three Important Attitudes
In conclusion, to get closer to Jesus, ask Him and look for Him to instill these character qualities.
Humility: whether at work or at home or at school, acknowledge for yourself and let others know, “I need Jesus every moment of the day.”
Courage: stay near Jesus when you don’t know where this will all lead or what you’ll have to go through or for how long.
Perseverance: determine to stick with Jesus until all the work He wants you to do is done.
STEPHEN BLY
Circa 1980s
Harassment and Embarrassment Image by Mohamed Hassan from Pixabay
Betrayal and Broken Heart Image by Victoria from Pixabay
Communion Elements and Danger Images by Clker-Free-Vector-Images from Pixabay
Distressed Mental Health Image by Gordon Johnson from Pixabay
Praying Man Humility Image by John Hain from Pixabay
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