Honey, I shrunk Jesus!

I have come to realize that for most of my life, I have incorrectly believed that it was up to me to make things happen in my life in order to be successful, fulfilled, etc. Strangely, even as a Christian, it's hard not to get stuck in this way of thinking. I am not sure why, though, because over and over God keeps showing me that my ways are not like His ways. His ways are always best. 

Though I believe God provides etc, I have often lived in a way that demonstrated otherwise - long work hours, stress and worry, extra jobs, borrowing money and using debt unnecessarily, little giving/tithing and bouts of materialism and an overly busy lifestyle; just to name a few. One lesson I am relearning, or possibly learning for the first time is that God my Heavenly Father has taken on the role as my provider and Shepherd. Through Jesus, He is in complete control of the world and has "the whole world in His hands." I am His sheep, child, and the one in need to be rescued. Not the opposite. 

Jesus doesn't need my help. He is fully capable of handling everything on His own. Look at Colossians 1:15-20 (HCSB):

¹⁵ He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.^[i]
16 For everything was created by Him, in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities— all things have been created through Him and for Him.
¹⁷ He is before all things, and by Him all things hold together.
¹⁸ He is also the head of the body, the church; He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He might come to have first place in everything.
¹⁹ For God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in Him,
²⁰ and through Him to reconcile everything to Himself by making peace through the blood of His cross^[j]—whether things on earth or things in heaven.

Through relationship and union with His father and the Holy Spirit, Jesus has been given full authority over everything and everyone. Jesus is the central character in the Bible and all things have been "created through Him and for Him." Jesus doesn't need my help with anything. Everything begins and ends with Him.

However, the coolest, most humbling truth is that, though He doesn't need me, He wants me. That's phenomenal stuff. It's very freeing and life changing when I abide in that Truth. From the very beginning, God has purposed to include us in His life. We are foolish to think He needs us, but we are also foolish to think He doesn't want us. He delights in us and desires to reconcile the world to Himself and "make peace through the blood of His cross." From Genesis to Revelation, story after story is about God's determination to make covenant with His people and reconcile the world to Himself, through His Son.

Each morning I am allowed to wake up and live, I have to ask myself, "Do I trust that Jesus holds all things together, is for me and will make provision as He promises? Will I rest in this truth and pursue Him with my whole heart, fully trusting He knows what's best and will lead and guide me each step of the way? Do I believe that He will never leave or forsake me? Do I love Him more than anything and anyone? Is He enough?"

When I fear or doubt His love, His will, and His promises, I "shrink" Jesus down and under estimate who He is and what He is capable of doing. God has given Him a name above all names. He has placed the whole world in His hands. God sees Jesus in His fullness and trusts Him fully. Who am I to shrink Jesus and not give Him the same credit and honor? My heart is heavy this morning as I realize how much I have shrunk Jesus.

Lord Jesus, forgive me for making light of You and all You are. I want to stand in awe of You and be amazed today by You. I believe. Help my unbelief!

Philippians 2:5-11, The Message (MSG)

^5-8 Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself. He had equal status with God but didn’t think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what. Not at all. When the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human! Having become human, he stayed human. It was an incredibly humbling process. He didn’t claim special privileges. Instead, he lived a selfless, obedient life and then died a selfless, obedient death—and the worst kind of death at that—a crucifixion.

^9-11 Because of that obedience, God lifted him high and honored him far beyond anyone or anything, ever, so that all created beings in heaven and on earth—even those long ago dead and buried—will bow in worship before this Jesus Christ, and call out in praise that he is the Master of all, to the glorious honor of God the Father.