What single word comes to mind when you hear the name Jesus Christ? I have heard many answers to this question over the years. Some have answered “philosopher, prophet, revolutionary, and man”; but the one word that sums it up best for me is everything. Pure and simple, straightforward and succinct; when you place Christ in the center of your life, He comes to mean everything to you. If you allow Him, He can become the foundation for your life.
Christ is my everything because He means everything to me. #Easter #HeIsRisen #Resurrection Click To TweetFor me, Easter has long been a week of reflection that culminates in joyous celebration. I think about the tremendous price Christ paid for each one of us. It is overwhelming when I stop and recognize how Jesus Christ, the living Son of God, voluntarily left heaven to become man for my sake. His human life gave us the living example of righteousness to follow as He willingly paid the price of our sin to redeem us in His Father’s eyes (John 3:16). He ransomed heaven to pay the sin debt we could never pay. Jesus overcame death, sin, and the grave for each of us when on the third day He arose (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). Oh, friends, when you consider all that He gave, all that He is, and all that He offers, how can we continue to selfishly deny Him?
Christians use many words to describe Jesus, such as Savior, love, peace, joy, forgiveness, mercy, perfection, grace, teacher, and others. For me, it’s everything. He is my:
- Salvation—By His sacrifice, I am saved by grace, through faith (Ephesians 2:8)
- Teacher—He teaches me the way of righteousness (John 13:13)
- Comforter—I come to Him in times of sorrow; for He cares for me (2 Thessalonians 2:16-17)
- Freedom—In Him, I am free from the shackles of sin and death (Romans 8:2)
- Conscience—With His guidance, I traverse the righteous way, in the midst of the paths of justice (Proverbs 8:20)
- Joy—I am made full by the joy He gives me (John 15:11)
- Mentor—Jesus modeled every example I should endeavor to follow in my life (John 20:21)
- Friend—He is my constant companion; always there whenever I call (Proverbs 18:24)
- Disciplinarian—He instructs me, He leads me in the path of righteousness (Psalm 23:3)
- Intercessor—It is through Him I can draw close to God (Hebrews 7:25)
- Brother—He seeks to sanctify me (Hebrews 2:11)
- Hope—In Him, I have the living hope of His promise for eternal life (1 Peter 1:3)
- Judge—I will bow at His throne one day, facing His divine judgment (Matthew 25:31-46)
One of my favorite songs is “Living Proof” by Wilburn and Wilburn. A part of the chorus includes “… The story of my Savior stands upon the rock of truth; cause when it comes to Jesus, I’ve got Living Proof!” My proof is in the text the apostle Paul wrote in Galatians 2:20.
“I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live,
but Christ who lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh
I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.”
(Galatians 2:20, NKJV)
I see evidence of His living proof in the actions, words, and deeds of every true Christian I meet in this world. It is the perseverance I see people exhibit when facing adversity. I see Him in the grace extended to others when the world chooses instead to condemn. His living proof is in the love I see delivered by the hearts of Christians who fill the world with God’s love through a smile, kind word, or gentle touch. It is in the glorious, humble acts performed by others; not from a sense of duty or responsibility, but from a desire to show compassion to others and glorify God.
I have proof my Savior lives, because I see Him in Christians all around this world; and I pray people see Him in me as well. Let us each attempt to show and share Christ with others each day. I pray Christ’s true church rises up and stands tall once again—a shining beacon of hope and truth in this land. As we join together and reflect upon the last days of Jesus’ earthly life, let us find the joy that Easter brings by knowing we are living proof that He is risen indeed (Luke 24:34).
God’s blessings,
J.D. Wininger
I definitely see Christ in you J.D. This is a beautiful summary of who Jesus is, although we can never ‘summarize’ Him. You scratched the surface well.
Amen Ms. Cathy, we cannot “summarize” what is infinitesimal, but I tried to highlight those words that came to mind as I reflected upon what He means to me. Each year as Easter nears, I make it a point to remind myself of how He means everything to my life, recognizing that without Him, my life is worthless. God’s blessings ma’am and Happy Easter. He is Risen!
Everything says it all. Thanks so much for sharing.
Doesn’t it just Ms. Marjorie? 🙂 Thank you and God’s blessings ma’am.
Perfect way to spend the last days of this week as we approach Resurrection Day. And you, my friend, show Christ to the world in all you do.
Thank you Ms. Ann. If I’m honest, I recognize that my human-ness remains, yet I pray folks see less of it with each passing year. Happy Resurrection Day sweet sister-in-Christ.
You summed it up so beautifully, J.D. Christ is everything. Happy Easter to you and Ms. Diane!
Thank you and Happy Easter to you and your entire family Ms. Barbara. I am so glad you are home this year to celebrate Christ’s redemptive power and glory.
Your message brought me joy this morning, J.D. Loved your list of characteristics illustrating how Jesus is everything. So true. If you had asked me what Jesus means to me before I read your message, I would have answered Savior (if I could only use one word). I think you are right, the only one word description is EVERYTHING. Blessings!
Oh, how you bless me with your kindness Ms. Katherine. While Christ is all these things (and so much more I’ve too have yet to discover), I think “Savior” is one of those paramount words. I realize that if He were not my Lord and Savior, then I could not have been blessed with so many of the other words I’ve been blessed to discover about Him. God’s blessings ma’am and Happy Easter!
What a beautiful post, J.D. I love your description of Christ as everything. Amen to that! Happy Easter!
Happy Easter and thank you Ms. Tammy. Always a blessing young lady.
I absolutely love your consolidation of what Jesus means to you–He is, indeed, “everything.” When I see those misguided folks who want to keep Jesus compartmentalized, I feel a blend of frustration, exasperation, sadness, and whatever you call that feeling when you want to grab somebody and shake the tar out of them to get their attention. Some who call themselves “Christians” seem content to keep the One they claim to follow relegated to the “Sunday morning Jesus,” or the “Christmas and Easter Jesus,” or the “911 Jesus,” or the “Weddings and Funerals Only, Jesus.” Doing that not only makes them losers themselves, but their influence also weakens the Body of Christ overall, and that can be devastating at times like this when the enemy is attacking full force from every direction.
At my age, it seems like every category of medical science wants to run some kind of test on me. I had an “echocardiagram” a couple of weeks ago. It was the weirdest feeling to lay there and watch my own heart beating. Anyhow, a while later I got a call and was informed that there was nothing to be concerned about–just some valve that wasn’t performing up to snuff and allowing some blood to regurgitate instead of passing on like it was supposed to. That wasn’t anything life threatening, just means that the performance of the whole thing is weaker–not unusual for a guy at my stage of life. It also means that all the rest of me is affected and I’m less able to do the things I used to be able to do. I thought about that in reference to the Church. When one part stops performing like it was designed to perform, the whole organism is weakened and unable to do what God intended it to do.
As you so clearly illustrated, Jesus is not just the main thing in our lives. He is the whole reason we have life at all. There is no other enduring purpose for our existence. If we fail to represent Him–to actually become Him–to this broken, degenerate world wallowing in the throes of its own death, then we only add another symptom to its terminal prognosis.
Thank you, my friend and Brother, for making our contemplations of Easter richer. May the living Lord Jesus make “everything” about your celebration of Resurrection Sunday more than you thought it could be.
“Keeping Jesus compartmentalized”, what a power metaphor that is my friend. How can someone do that? How can we choose to make God a part of our lives. He is not a light switch that you can turn on and off, but a pervasive, all-consuming part of our life. If He isn’t, then may I respectfully, and in love, suggest that you need much more of Him and much less of you folks.
I am grateful that medical answers have been found, and while saddened that you are learning a new pace of life as a result of this malady, I’m also praying that God extend to you His grace in accepting that we can no longer “Do” in the same way. Note that this doesn’t mean we quit “Doing”, but we must ask Him to show us new ways to serve. I join you in that struggle my friend. Like you, I don’t like it but am slowly coming to accept the fact that I must adapt to what is the natural lifecycle of man until that upward call my friend. Thank you for your safe wisdom and kind delivery of conviction this day. God’s blessings to you and your family, and Happy Easter. He is Risen my friend, and THAT is reason for hope.
Thank you for lifting our eyes to our Savior this morning, J.D.!
Amen Ms. Lori. We should be looking in that direction with each moment of our day, shouldn’t we? God’s blessings to you and my pal, Mr. David this day.
May we shine the light of His truth and love.
God bless, JD. Happy Easter!
Yes ma’am! And may we grow to shine more brightly with each passing day! Happy Easter Ms. Nancy. What a blessing you are my friend.
May we share the joy of Jesus in all we do. Thank you, J.D.
What joy comes from knowing that Jesus is all these things and more Ms. Diana. My prayer for both me and you is that He helps us to learn new ways to express all that He is in our lives as we grow forward with Him. God’s blessings ma’am.
What a comforting and encouraging list. Thanks J.D.!
Thank you Ms. Sylvia. I try and look at this list several times throughout the year as it gives me prompts for praise. He is worthy my sweet friend.
Thank you JD for providing this great message as I prepare my heart for Easter. It is so humbling to think of how much Christ gave up for me and suffered for me. I praise His Holy Name
How kind Ms. Yvonne. I love your thought of “preparing our hearts for Easter.” It gave me pause to consider how important it is to prepare our hearts for praise each day, because of all He has given us. God’s blessings ma’am.
God bless you for your encouraging reminders.
Thank you Ms. Joy. We all need those reminders of all God is and all he does for us my aptly named friend. Happy Easter!
Yes, YOU are living proof. Thank you for showing Jesus to others around you. I’m blessed to part of that group!
Aww Ms. Karen. I try, and need to try harder ma’am. We all do, I think, in ways. I’m so excited for you to be celebrating your first Easter as a memaw (grandmother). I’m so very happy for your family, and stopped to thank God on that day when you announced the blessed event that He saw fit to preserve Mr. Russ so that He could help guide his grandchild in this life. God’s blessings my sweet friend.
There used to be a song by that name we sang in my teens–“He’s Everything to Me.” I haven’t heard it in years, but it’s still true!
OhMyGoodness Ms. Barbara. I had long forgotten hearing that song as a young man. I think it was at my grandparents’ house as my biological family didn’t own a television until the early 70s. You prompted me to go searching and here is the version I remember. I pray this blesses you also ma’am.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0S5AknvJAUU
Thank you, J.D., as always for focusing our mind and heart on our Lord. I think one of the primary things we should do as you emphasized is focus on who God and Jesus are–His nature and His names. Trust comes from that.
Absolutely Ms. Kathy. The first entry on my Daily Prayer List (go figure, an OCD-enabled fella like me has an ordinalled list of prayer prompts) is “Praise Jesus for all He has done, all He is doing, and all He will do in my life.” Sounds like you have that same entry my friend. God’s blessings ma’am.
A beautiful list, J.D. Thank you, and happy Easter to you and Ms. Diane!
Thank you Ms. LuAnn. Praying a special day of family, friends, praise, and thank for you, Mr. Kenn, and your entire family this Easter. God’s blessings my faithful friend.
Beautiful Easter devotional, J.D. Thank you! Blessings in this wonderful season ~
Thank you Ms. Wendy. Am so glad you enjoyed ma’am. Happy Easter ma’am.
This is beautiful. Yes, dear friend, I see Christ in you every day. Your encouragement and inspiration to others blesses everyone. Thank you for sharing your love for the Lord.
Humbled Ms. Melissa. Thank you for all your kind words and in-kind encouragement ma’am. What a blessing it is to call you “friend.”
Teacher is the first word that came to my mind. Maybe because Jesus has a lot to teach and reteach me. Maybe because I’m a teacher and I appreciate His heart for teaching along with His teaching philosophy. What a model.
I love “Jesus is my everything.” I’m thankful Jesus is my everything.
Yes! “Rabonni” He is our teacher for sure Ms. Candyce, with His life being the model we should attempt to emulate. I’m right there with you in the gratefulness department ma’am. God’s blessings and Happy Easter my friend.
IF the world held insufficient examples of God’s existence, the certainty of his resurrection, and lovingkindness, YOU, JD, are most clearly “… living proof that He is risen indeed.”
Thank you Ms. Mary. I pray daily that I might one day be able to live up to your impression of me ma’am. Like most, I’m far from where God wants me to be but I continue to try my best to move closer to Him with each passing year. God’s blessings sweet lady.
What a wonderful list of the “everything” that Jesus is! I would also add friend, but He’s so much more. I join you in praying for the family. As the world darkens, each light must by uncovered to shine the way to Jesus, our Everything.
Amen Ms. Annie. A friend who is closer than a brother! Let us shine brightly for His glory my friend. God’s blessings and Happy Easter to you and your family ma’am.
J.D., by the time I finished reading your post, I was humming. So I had to share the song 🙂 It will be on replay today. Jesus, yes, my everything too, friend. He is our all in all. May you and Ms. Diane have a blessed Easter!
https://youtu.be/lie1L61Qnos
Had not heard/saw this video before. Know the song well, and so enjoyed this version. I too will be humming this (and playing on my iPhone as I travel) all this day. Thank you so much for sharing with us all Ms. Joanne. Quite the blessing ma’am. God’s blessings and Happy Easter my friend.
Such a beautiful post about how Jesus needs to be the center of everything in our lives. May He help us in our daily struggle to keep Him first! And may you and your family have a blessed Easter, J.D.
Amen Ms. Kathy. “Keeping Jesus first”, I like that a lot. Too often, we tend to treat Him as an “in case of fire” God, but when we allow Him to walk with us daily we find so much more joy, peace, comfort, love, understanding, and like my list, it goes on and on. Well said ma’am. Thank you and I pray you and your family a blessed Easter also my sweet friend.
We are beyond blessed to belong to our Lord. He has done it all for us, and we will have all eternity to praise His matchless name. Thank you for lifting JESUS up and reminding us of His everlasting love.
So true Ms. Emily. I often think I am far more blessed than I deserve, but God reminds me that He blesses Christ who is in me.
I love this statement: “I pray Christ’s true church rises up and stands tall once again—a shining beacon of hope and truth in this land. ” Yes, while we are here on earth, before the Rapture, may we repent and rise again, shedding the ashes of this world’s present deceptions and lies to become His bright light in a darkened world, beaming the way for the Lost to enter the ark of salvation. Amen! Blessed Resurrection Week, my friend.
Thank you Ms. Karen. Too many of us have played “Christian” for too long. Time is far too short for games now. It’s time to make sure our salvation is secure, nailed down, and anchored to that solid foundational cornerstone that is Christ Jesus, the Lord. Amen ma’am. Thank you and God’s blessings this Easter ma’am.
I love your one word for Jesus! “Everything” captures His all-encompassing characteristics and deity as part of the God-head. And best defines all He us to us! Your list shows that and I see the living proof of Jesus in my life.
Thank you Ms. Karen and “Amen” ma’am. I love the question your comment shares. It’s a question we should ask ourselves each day, “Have others seen the living proof of Jesus through my life today?”
Beautiful Easter message and reminder that we, US, may be Christ to someone else. We may be the only connection they have. I feel the depth of that when I visit other countries especially. I take Christ with me everywhere I go because He is in me.
Thank you ma’am. I always enjoy sharing this message each Easter. God’s blessings.