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Pastor's Blog July 9, 2020
"Growing Up Into Christ III"
{Scroll over scripture reference to read the scripture or reference.
"When the mind dwells upon self, it is turned away from Christ, the source of strength and life. Hence it is Satan's constant effort to keep the attention diverted from the Saviour and thus prevent the union and communion of the soul with Christ" ("Steps to Christ, 48; 1977 edition).
Most Christians who hear or read this statement tend to think Ellen is claiming that self is bad, and that focus on self means we've stopped being "good." But that's not what she is saying. More pointedly than this, Ellen is confessing a stark truth: you become what you worship, and humans only have the ability to worship one thing at a time (polytheism notwithstanding). The things about self that can so easily distract us from paying attention to Jesus tend to be daily activities of living: "the pleasures of the world, life's cares and perplexities and sorrows, the faults of others, or your own faults and imperfections" (48). There's nothing necessarily wrong with taking note of any of these realities; the only problem with them is when they occupy all our attention, instead of our focus being on Jesus. So how do you stop focusing on your "self" and focus exclusively on Jesus?
Ellen gives a perceptive answer: "Commit the keeping of your soul to God, and trust in Him. Talk and think of Jesus. Let self be lost in Him" (49). The reason this is the solution is because of who Jesus is in relation to us. In the incarnation, Jesus "bound humanity to Himself by a tie of love that can never be broken" - which means that we may depart from God, but he has forever indicated his connection with us in Jesus (49). And in his ascension, Jesus demonstrates that he is still with us, "that His sympathies were unchanged; that He was still identified with suffering humanity," and that he is preparing a place for us to live with him forever - which means that we may not be able to see Jesus now, but he continues to give us his presence, power, and love (50).
What is interesting, however, is that the one who causes us to focus on Jesus is, well, Jesus (48-50)! All we do is spend time hanging around Jesus; WE can choose to spend time with him, but only JESUS has the power to cause us to focus exclusively on himself (49-50). Friends, I encourage you to keep doing the difficult work of trustingly and daily going to Jesus.
(*) Steps to Christ, Chapter 8— Growing Up Into Christ, 1977 edition
God Bless.
Pastor Nathaniel Gamble
