by Tini Tadeo-Castillo
“Is JESUS Supreme in Your Life”?
Reflection on the message of Pastor Jess Lantin
Is Jesus supreme in my life?
I don't know about you, but this question pierced right through my heart. Not just pierced but stabbed and probed at it, too. It was very personal and invaded my very core. I would liken it to my colonoscopy and gastroscopy experience where tubes with cameras were inserted in order to check my digestive system for anything that would reveal the cause of my abdominal pain. It was intrusive and uncomfortable, like I was violated. Being asked that question felt similar, except it was more assailing, impugning the legitimacy of my Christianity, challenging my spiritual journey, and disputing my relationship with Jesus. Did you feel the same way with the question?
Listening to Pastor Jess last Sunday did not change the way I feel about how personal it was. It still probed, impugned, and challenged. Except that I realized, it should. It ought to examine and reveal what's within and see the cause of my spiritual pain. It was a question posed to convict. And if it didn't? Then the better question to ask is "Who is Jesus to me? A man, teacher, prophet, or LORD?"
The six tests Pastor Jess mentioned — faith, love, hope, fruit, prayer and joy — caused me to take a closer look at my testimony, my walk, and my life. As someone set apart by Jesus, am I a credible witness? Is Jesus the object of my faith? Are my thoughts, actions and decisions anchored on the truth of God's Word? Does my hope lie in the certainty of His promises? Are my prayers aligned with God's will? Is my life producing every good fruit as every believer should and must? Is my joy complete knowing that I was rescued, transferred, redeemed and forgiven? Are my love and forgiveness sincere? Have I fully understood what grace is and how it works? If I do have a full grasp of it, am I being an agent of such grace?
When the preaching ended, I found myself thinking of the phrase "Right believing, right living" and examining what I believed about who Jesus is, and how this phrase has impacted and will impact how I live my life. A jarring thought hit me. If I see Him and believed Him as JUST a Savior who redeemed me from my sinful past, but I didn’t treat Him as the Lord of my life, then it is safe to say I am in big trouble. The presence or absence of those six things Paster Jess mentioned are an honest gauge of whether Jesus is truly supreme for me.
I am relieved, in a way, that the conviction was there. The question I mentioned earlier, which I have asked myself repeatedly, accomplishes its purpose of making me fully aware of what I must do to align my pursuits to God's will. I praise God for every pang, puncture, poke, and stab in the heart I feel with sermons like this one. It brings me to the ground, taking me down and away from any spiritual pride that blows up my ego and steers me away from God. It brings a painful but remedial humility that I don't naturally have. It leads me to come clean and seek God's direction. It drives me away from any false supremacy in my life, back to the One who must be the only one supreme: Jesus.
For he has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son, 14 who purchased our freedom and forgave our sins. ~ Colossians 1:13
“Is JESUS Supreme in Your Life”?
Reflection on the message of Pastor Jess Lantin
Is Jesus supreme in my life?
I don't know about you, but this question pierced right through my heart. Not just pierced but stabbed and probed at it, too. It was very personal and invaded my very core. I would liken it to my colonoscopy and gastroscopy experience where tubes with cameras were inserted in order to check my digestive system for anything that would reveal the cause of my abdominal pain. It was intrusive and uncomfortable, like I was violated. Being asked that question felt similar, except it was more assailing, impugning the legitimacy of my Christianity, challenging my spiritual journey, and disputing my relationship with Jesus. Did you feel the same way with the question?
Listening to Pastor Jess last Sunday did not change the way I feel about how personal it was. It still probed, impugned, and challenged. Except that I realized, it should. It ought to examine and reveal what's within and see the cause of my spiritual pain. It was a question posed to convict. And if it didn't? Then the better question to ask is "Who is Jesus to me? A man, teacher, prophet, or LORD?"
The six tests Pastor Jess mentioned — faith, love, hope, fruit, prayer and joy — caused me to take a closer look at my testimony, my walk, and my life. As someone set apart by Jesus, am I a credible witness? Is Jesus the object of my faith? Are my thoughts, actions and decisions anchored on the truth of God's Word? Does my hope lie in the certainty of His promises? Are my prayers aligned with God's will? Is my life producing every good fruit as every believer should and must? Is my joy complete knowing that I was rescued, transferred, redeemed and forgiven? Are my love and forgiveness sincere? Have I fully understood what grace is and how it works? If I do have a full grasp of it, am I being an agent of such grace?
When the preaching ended, I found myself thinking of the phrase "Right believing, right living" and examining what I believed about who Jesus is, and how this phrase has impacted and will impact how I live my life. A jarring thought hit me. If I see Him and believed Him as JUST a Savior who redeemed me from my sinful past, but I didn’t treat Him as the Lord of my life, then it is safe to say I am in big trouble. The presence or absence of those six things Paster Jess mentioned are an honest gauge of whether Jesus is truly supreme for me.
I am relieved, in a way, that the conviction was there. The question I mentioned earlier, which I have asked myself repeatedly, accomplishes its purpose of making me fully aware of what I must do to align my pursuits to God's will. I praise God for every pang, puncture, poke, and stab in the heart I feel with sermons like this one. It brings me to the ground, taking me down and away from any spiritual pride that blows up my ego and steers me away from God. It brings a painful but remedial humility that I don't naturally have. It leads me to come clean and seek God's direction. It drives me away from any false supremacy in my life, back to the One who must be the only one supreme: Jesus.
For he has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son, 14 who purchased our freedom and forgave our sins. ~ Colossians 1:13