“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the Heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.” — Ephesians 1:3
Don’t Settle for Half-Stepping
We can look at a relationship with Jesus from two sides: I have Christ, and Christ has me. We tend to mostly live in the first side, “I have Christ.” When we first put our faith in Christ, the most incredible thing happened — God delivered a boatload of blessings, including forgiveness, empowerment, guidance, love, peace, answered prayer and eternal life.
Because of those personal blessings, “I have Christ” is our primary perspective; we think in terms of what God can do for us. We pray for forgiveness, wisdom, resources and help in our trials. When we read the Bible we look for encouragement, assurance, answers and courage. It is all about what we need and want. God is pleased to be asked.
“Christ has me” is the other side of a relationship with Christ and is equally important. When we put our faith in Christ to begin this relationship, Colossians 1:13-14 says, “For He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the Kingdom of the Son He loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” That transfer makes us residents of His Kingdom. Christ has us and has plans to use us for His glory.c
If our perspective in the Christian life is only “I have Christ,” our relationship with God becomes self-centered. Shift the focus to “Christ has me,” and life becomes more God-centered.
Want to pick up the pace from a walk to a run in your relationship with Christ? Enjoy “I have Christ,” but keep “Christ has me” in your perspective.
— Tom Petersburg, Catapult Ministries
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