Holy Week Wednesday: In Christ Alone

In Christ Alone is a classic hymn that has made its way into praise music.  It has great, descriptive lyrics - but also sets forth some simple ideas.

The opening line says this:

In Christ alone, my hope is found

He is my light, my strength my song

In Christ alone.  It hasn't happened to me before, but I often think about how I would answer the question why do you choose to be a Christian?  Why do you choose to follow Christ?  I could give tons of reasons.  I could talk about kindness and love, how to treat your neighbors and your enemies, the abundance of God's grace and mercy.  

Why do I choose to live me life this way?  Why do I choose to have a relationship with a living God?  It is because of Jesus Christ.  There is no one like Jesus Christ.  I could search in any other place, through any other religion or faith system, but I would not find anyone who compares to God's Son.  I have never known another person who would carry a cross on their back - the cross that they were going to die on.  He would endure that embarrassment and that shame for my life.  

I am in awe of His selflessness.  He laid His life down to pay a debt in advance - for those who believed at the time and those who were still struggling.  He laid His life down for those who wouldn't believe, so that salvation would be there if they want to seek it and choose it.  

I choose Christ because He is where my hope lies.  Hope in anything else fades or disappears.

This is what I believe.  I believe in a loving God.  I believe in a God that tells us that the way to eternal life with Him is through a relationship with Jesus, His son.  I believe that God is not a condemning God - He wants all of His children to come home.  I believe that the Shepherd will seek every last sheep.  That is where my knowledge stops.  God is so much greater than I am - there is nothing that He is incapable of.  I don't get any say in who spends their eternal life where.  But I know that He desires us deeply, and He will always want for us to choose a relationship with His son - He gave us Jesus so He could be near to us in that way.

Christ Alone.  He is all that I need.  He is what I choose.  There is no one like Him.

~SP