Today I’d like to share a word with my fellow followers of Jesus.

This is for the spiritually mature, and for the spiritually immature; for those who have been walking the road for a long time, and for those who are new to the path; for those who are usually confident, and for those who are sometimes uncertain.

So basically, for all of us.

It’s that Jesus is not an accessory to your life; he is your life.

Let’s be honest. Some of us are tempted to keep Jesus in the margins of our lives. He makes us different, and standing out isn’t always fun.

Or, some of us are content to convince ourselves that a vague association with the wonder-worker from Galilee will guarantee us heaven, but we don’t really want to have anything to do with his sacrificial call on our lives at any point before that.

But consider Paul’s words in Galatians 2:20: “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

People often point to this verse to highlight the sacrificial nature of being a Christian—and rightly so. But there’s more. It’s that “Christ lives in me.” What good news!

–We follow—but he leads the way.
–We serve—but he does the heavy lifting.
–We grow weary—but his own life pulsates within us!

The Christian life isn’t a secret to keep. Nor is it a footnote in your story, or a chip to cash in after you’ve played your last hand on earth.

Yes, we’re all works-in-progress. And yes, we often fail. But we do so in the embrace, footsteps, wisdom and strength of the One who holds our ultimate allegiance.

Jesus isn’t an accessory to your life; he is your life.

“I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.”

By Matthew  Ruttan

–Bible quotes are from the NIV.