The Christ-Driven Life
This Christ-driven life is something that should change us from the inside out. 1 John 2:27 states, you have received the Holy Spirit, and he lives within you.
Think of it, God wants to live in us. We can have a relationship with God where He not only is near us but is also in us. There He can work, drawing us closer and closer to Himself and deeper and deeper into His will for our lives.
As God does this work from the inside out, our whole outlook on life begins to change. We start to evaluate things from a heart-perspective instead of performance-perspective.
For example, instead of saying, “Am I getting to church more than last year?” which is a performance-perspective question, we ask, “Do I long to worship God more now than I did last year?”
It is not, “Do I pray more than before?” Instead it is, “Do I look forward to talking with God more now than I did before?” Similarly, it is not, “Do I read the Bible more consistently than before?” No, rather it is, “Do I desire to know God better through His Word more now that I did before?”
Christ longs to be one with the Father. If you are driven by Him, you will find yourself longing to be one with Him as well. Moreover, Christ longs to see the world come to know the Father. If you are driven by Christ that means you will long to see people come to know the Father as well.
We have been given a great message. God made a way for us to get back into a relationship with Him. John 3:16 so clearly says, God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life.
Christ should be compelling you to take this message of hope, love, joy, peace, and eternal life to them.
Again, heart-perspective questions help us know if we are being driven by Christ. It’s not, “Do I share Christ with others?” instead it is, “Do I have a deep desire to see people come to know Christ and experience His love?”
Consider the life of Brian Welch. He was with the heavy metal band Korn for twelve years. During that time, Korn sold more than fifty million albums, making Brian incredibly famous and incredibly wealthy. Indeed, Brian was living his dream—emphasis on his dream. However, it didn’t satisfy him like he thought it would.
It never does.
In spite of all he achieved, Brian felt lost and empty. This drove him into a crystal meth addiction, and his life quickly spiraled out of control.
One day, however, his real estate broker, a man living a Christ-driven life, gave Brian a Scripture -- Matthew 11:28, where Jesus says, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.”
A few weeks later, Brian was sitting at home with lines of crystal meth laid out in front of him. Looking up to Heaven, he shouted out, “God, if you are real, take these drugs from me. My daughter lost her mother to drugs and she’s going to lose me.”
The rocker immediately felt love flowing through him—a love so powerful that Brian threw away all of his drugs, quit Korn, and dedicated himself to raising his daughter in a Christ-centered home.
In a dramatic interview with www.iamsecond.com, Brian states, “My dream came true way more than I ever dreamt about. I made more money. I played bigger shows. Houses, cars, I tried drugs. I tried sex. I tried everything to try to get pleasure out of this life. I thought I could fulfill my life with all this stuff, by having my dream come true. And it did come true, but it didn’t fulfill me.”
“When Christ comes in, He gives you the gift of understanding life—which is everything was created for Christ and by Him. And we were created to be with Him. It’s the most incredible feeling because you’re where you belong…You’re exactly where you need to be. And the question about life is answered.”
Is it time for you to give Jesus the wheel and allowing Him to drive your life?
