MAKE JESUS THE CENTER OF YOUR LIFE
Published by Olwin Gosal in 2026 · 11 January 2026
MAKE JESUS THE CENTER OF YOUR LIFE
In the middle of the 2nd century, there was a bishop in the church of Smyrna named Polycarp. Polycarp was a direct disciple of John, meaning that he still met people who were eyewitnesses to the life of Jesus and the apostles. At that time, Christians refused to worship the emperor and Roman gods, but secretly worshipped Christ in their own homes, and were considered pagans. The people of Smyrna hunted down Christians, shouting, "Away with the atheists!" Polycarp left the city at the request of others to hide in a field belonging to a friend. When soldiers came to the field, they tortured a slave to find out about Polycarp. Although he had the opportunity to escape, Polycarp chose to stay, determined, "God's will be done." Unexpectedly, he received them like guests, fed them, and asked for an hour to pray. He prayed for two hours.
On their way back to Smyrna, the chief soldier leading the troops said, "What's wrong with calling the Emperor God and offering incense?" Calmly, Polycarp said that he would not do it. The Roman governor who was trying him sought a way to free the old bishop. "Respect your age, old man," the Roman governor exclaimed. "Swear by the Emperor's good fortune. Change your mind and cry out, 'Away with the atheists!'
Upon arriving at the place of execution, the Roman governor said to Polycarp: "Take an oath and I will release you. Blaspheme Christ!" Polycarp stood firm and replied, "For 86 years I have served Christ, and He has never wronged me. How can I blaspheme the King [Christ] who has saved me?" The Roman governor threatened to throw him to the wild beasts. "Bring on the beasts!" exclaimed Polycarp. "If that will change a bad situation for the better, but not a better situation for the worse." When threatened with being burned at the stake, Polycarp replied, "Your fire will burn for only one hour, then it will be extinguished, but the fire of the coming judgment is eternal."
The Roman governor ordered him to be burned alive. He was tied to a stake and burned. However, according to an eyewitness, his body was not consumed by the fire but there was a sweet aroma, like the fragrance of frankincense or expensive spices." When an executioner stabbed him, his blood flowed to extinguish the fire. Thus Polycarp died in his loyalty to the Lord Jesus.
My brothers and sisters, have we ever asked ourselves, to whom do I belong? To whom do I dedicate myself? Many people believe that their lives belong to themselves, and that's what is often taught in motivational classes. The question is, did we ever plan to live in this world? Or were we ever asked for our opinion on how, where, and when we would live? The answer is no! Because when we become aware, we find that we are already alive! Entering this new year 2026, God brings us to reflect on what is the center of your life? And who do you focus your life on? For whom we do everything?
Let's open our Bibles to Romans 14:8-9 “If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living.”
Beloved, this verse is in the context when Paul was giving advice to the Roman congregation not to judge each other regarding food and certain days. Paul wants to emphasize that they are not masters of other people's lives, so they do not have any right to control them. In verse 4 it says, "Who are you, that you judge another man's servant? Whether he stands, whether he falls, that is his master's own business. But he will remain standing, because God has the power to keep him standing." Next in verse 7 it says, "For none of us lives for himself, and no one dies to himself." It turns out that no one has the right to themselves. So today we want to think together that the Lord Jesus should have full rights over our lives and be the center of our lives?
Why should we make Jesus the center of our lives?
1. Because we belong to God.
My brothers and sisters, the answer to the question of whose we are and to whom we should dedicate our lives can be found in these verses. It is astonishing when someone does not acknowledge that there is a God who created them. Our lives belong to God, and He should be the center of our lives. How foolish it is when someone refuses to allow God to have complete sovereignty over their life! Even more foolish is the person who believes that God created their life and is the owner of their life, yet refuses to acknowledge that God has full rights over their life! Therefore, in this first part, we want to reflect on the fact that our lives belong to the Lord, and He has complete sovereignty over our lives.
My brothers and sisters, it is said in verse 8, "for if we live, ... and if we die," this shows that in all circumstances, both in life and in death, a person belongs to God. Living and dying for God means being dedicated to God. This means that a person does not live for their own interests, satisfaction, pleasure, and purposes, but everything is to please and glorify God. Everything done must be in accordance with God's will, must proceed according to His plan, and must be centered on God. Paul wants to emphasize how our lives and deaths are before God to glorify God.
“We live for God…and die for God,” speaking of life and death means not just one aspect, but speaking of the entirety of life, not just about “spiritual” life, worship, service, and other related things, but speaking about the wholeness of life, how we live in our families, work, social life, and so on, and how we die.
Living and dying for God emphasizes that the story of our journey is not about ourselves, but the story of God working in us. We should make Jesus the center of our lives. When we experience anything in life we are reminded that this is not about me, but about God who works so that we will not be controlled by fear. This life belongs to God and to God so it is impossible for Him to remain silent, or it is impossible for Him to plan an accident, it is impossible for Him to plan destruction. But He will shape and educate and guide us to His purposes and according to His ways and will. Even when other people hurt and harm us, we will not hold grudges and be down because it is not us who are hurt but that person who hurts God's heart. We are not controlled by revenge but instead are controlled by God's love, to pray for that person before God.
If we say that our lives belong to God, then we need to ask ourselves: do we include God in every life decision we make every day? How do we live our lives with God at the center of everything we do?
2. Because we are redeemed and saved by Jesus.
Are we, who are spiritually dead, able to center our lives on God?
We are sinful human beings who cannot please God, let alone make God the center of our lives. We need the Lord Jesus to redeem and save us. In verse 9 it says, “For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living.”
My brothers and sisters, Christ died and rose again so that we might have a life centered on Him. Paul says this 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.”
Now God has enabled us to focus our lives on Him, and He wants to perform miraculous works in our lives. Paul did not want to waste the salvation he had received. He wanted to dedicate his entire life to working for the Lord. In 1 Corinthians 15:10, “But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.”
So when living our days, we need to ask ourselves:
Do we put God first in every life decision we make every day? How do we live the days of our lives by making God the center of our lives?