“A right heart leans on Christ,
hangs on Christ, builds on Christ and cleaves to Christ.”
— J. C. Ryle (1816–1900)
Devotion to Christ is the
disciple’s account of responsibility. Of all the tasks of the Christian life, taking
up our crosses and following Jesus is most fundamental. Such devotedness is the
platform behind the energy for worship, our love to invest in fellowship, the
desire for spiritual growth in God, the motivation to engage in ministry, and
the inspiration for evangelistic activism.
If devotion is what we are called
to, we must know devotion begins in the heart.
Leaning on Christ
Proverbs 3:5-6 calls us to “Trust in the Lord
with all our heart, and not lean upon our own understanding.” We are to lean on the knowledge of God—by the
Word and Wisdom of God, and through ethical dealing out of the discernment of
love. Love is other-centred.
Leaning on Christ is essentially
about having the humility to place our lives in the Saviour’s care, such that
by leaning we are admitting our need of a Lord in order to make the best use of
our lives.
Hanging on Christ
When we prayerful we hang on God,
as we discern the Spirit’s communication through God’s Word, as it speaks into
our lives. We are actively seeking Spiritual revelation. But hanging on Christ
is not an instinctive activity. It needs to be intentional.
Hanging on Christ means we must
refuse ourselves the luxury of hanging on anything else.
Building on Christ
Colossians 2:6-7 talks about how
we are to be “rooted and built
up in Jesus and established in the faith.” If we were to consider the capacity of our faith in Christ when
we were baby believers we would be astounded for how much we have grown. This
should be the way.
It would be abhorrent to the Holy
Spirit for a so-called Christian to remain affixed to the unregenerate
state—beyond reach for growth. It’s non-negotiable for Christians to grow—to be
built up—in their Lord and King.
Cleaving to Christ
Cleaving, in some ways, is similar
to leaning. We must adhere, cling to, and stick fast—in faithfulness—to our
initial conviction of surrender in faith.
If we have taken our discipleship
seriously from day one, our adhering devotion will only have gathered inertia
and momentum. Our confidence in Christ has become consolidated and our
confidence is safe because we have cleaved to a King who puts all life in
perspective.
***
A right Christ heart is the prize
for the disciple of Jesus, who leans upon, hangs on, builds on, and cleaves to
Christ. A right Christ heart is a blessing to all.
© 2012 S. J. Wickham.
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