As a Christian, it’s easy to develop habits of spirituality and yet still miss what Jesus came to do.
We fill our lives with a bunch of Christian things like church, Bible studies, small groups, and all the other church events. Yet, we aren’t any closer to Jesus.
The difficult thing about it is that we might not even realize our lives becomes filled with “Christian” things instead becoming full of Jesus. Christianity becomes like a club that we’re a part of. And it misleads us into thinking we have become more like Jesus.
I imagine every Christian would agree that this is a tragedy. How can we go through life claiming to be followers of Jesus and still lose sight of what Jesus really came to do? We trade his power and glory for the security of saying we did all the Jesus things. But is Jesus really a part of it?
None of us want to be in this place. But even harder than being in this place is admitting we are in this place.
Here are a four questions we can ask ourselves to gauge if we are on the road of becoming secure in the things of Jesus and not Jesus himself. It’s important to be honest with yourself when asking these questions. And trust me, that’s not always easy.
1. What Do Your Prayers Sound Like?
I recently heard a message on prayer where the pastor asked if my prayers were gospel-centered. Of course, my initial thought was “YES.” But as the pastor began to describe the difference between self-centered and gospel-centered prayers, I quickly began to realize my prayers are far more self-centered.
The difference between gospel-centered prayers and self-centered prayers is their focus. If our prayers sound a lot like us asking God to protect us, provide for us, or strengthen us through our current life situation—and if these requests are ends unto themselves–then we are most likely praying self-centered prayers.
Of course, we can and should pray for these things. Because God cares about us. But our faith is not simply self-serving.
Here’s a look at one of the apostle Paul’s prayers for a church in a city called Philippi.
And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God. (Philippians 1:9-10)
Paul’s prayer isn’t for himself, but for the church of Philippi. And this prayer isn’t about the protection and security of the church. It’s far more about their lives in Jesus. He’s far more concerned with the gospel transforming their lives than anything else.
