A subtle adjustment...

Awkward question:  Is Jesus the center of your walk or are you?  I recently had a look around and found a Message Bible edition of the Psalms.  I had a quick skim through and reminded myself why this was not in my 'to-hand' study materials.  Long ago I had decided that the Message, along with many bible teachers and authors were on my 'watch list.'  This list was my own creation to monitor how Christian media subtly shifts the subject of your Christian walk from Christ to 'self.'

It seems like a good thing to have someone or something break it down for us, to make it easier to understand.  Of course!  That's the role of a Bible teacher and many get it right.  However if the Teacher takes the focus from the risen, glorified Lord and places it onto the Christian themselves, they do the Gospel and injustice.  If the New Testament screams anything from its pages it has to be 'STOP TRYING TO FIX YOURSELF... YOU CAN'T.'  Yet Christianity is an industry in allowing believers to buy tools to fix self.  The preachers and authors market 'trouble' as some sort of broken component that needs fixing.  The truth is that trouble is what is the stating point of your Freedom!

Read Romans 5

If you get plugged into your source, Jesus Christ and begin to live anchored into his Glory then you don't need the gimmicks, the self help sermons, the paraphrased bible etc.  Your eyes go off self and onto his Glorious life.    " But you don't know how I struggle with sin... I need help"  Jesus knows how much you struggle and at your lowest most wretched point offered his life for yours!  Thinking we have to surround ourselves with tools and aids to succeed is just marketing from Christians industry.

Fix your hearts and minds on things above.  

Gary Ward