March 7, 2021
You know what?! Jesus has a way of meeting us right where we are doesn’t He? Recently while reading a devotional with my local church entitled, Every Choice is a Seed, I was challenged to search myself to see if Jesus was in His proper place. To my surprise He wasn’t where I thought He was and with tears streaming down my face I had to repent!
While following along in the book and listening to my Pastor read the lesson to us over the phone, she made mention of the song “The Center of My Joy” by Richard Smallwood. I know this song very well and have belted out the lyrics many times over. Some of you have probably heard of it as well.
Jesus, you're the center of my joy
All that's good and perfect comes from you
You're the heart of my contentment, hope for all I do
Jesus, you're the center of my joy...
The song, if you sing it all the way through, ends with powerful declarations that Jesus is our everything. But is He? Is He really the center? Do you really move about your day with Him in mind? Do you acknowledge Him in the smallest of details of your life? When you’re driving down the road, making dinner, washing the dishes… is He the center? Whenever you put on your clothes, comb your hair or play with your child(ren)… is He the center? Whenever you feed your dog, water the plants, straighten up the house… is He the Center? I have learned in recent months from the teachings of Dr. Alicia Britt Chole that Jesus is in every moment of our day and whatever we find ourselves doing we can do it for the love and glory of God!
I know this may be difficult to acknowledge because some of us may be guilty of talking to Him early in the morning, checking off this task, then we put Him back into His “box” and close the lid. It sounds terrible when we look at it this way doesn't it? Now imagine how it makes God feel. So today I ask you, is Jesus your center or have you just made Him a priority? There is a difference. Priority says, let me go ahead and get my hour of prayer time in first so that I can check it off and move on with the rest of my day. Jesus being the center, however, acknowledges that wherever I am, He is. Whatever I do, He’s there. Jesus being the center is an acknowledgment of His omnipresence and an invitation for me to include Him in every moment of my life.
Today I challenge you, just as I was challenged, to examine yourself and see if He really is the center or is He just a priority (something that is done first then crossed off of your to-do list). I hope that He will be re-positioned to become the center of your life. Prayerfully, the next time you sing "Center of My Joy" by Richard Smallwood it will have new meaning. Pushing You and Loving You into Greater, Shindy
Interested in the devotional book that sparked this blog? Every Choice is a Seed by Dr. Alicia Britt Chole is a book that includes 40 stories to grow your love of God.
Shop: https://aliciachole.com/product/every-choice-is-a-seed-40-stories-to-grow-your-love-for-god/
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