Christ Alone We Exalt Thee
When We Make Him Big, Everything Else Gets Small
There's something transformative that happens when we truly focus on the magnitude of who God is. When we fix our eyes on Jesus Christ—His power, His mercy, His holiness—the problems that seemed insurmountable suddenly shrink. The worries that kept us up at night lose their grip. The tensions we carry in our shoulders, the stress that makes us hold our breath, all begin to dissolve in the presence of His peace.
This isn't just positive thinking or mental gymnastics. It's the reality of what happens when we magnify Christ instead of magnifying our circumstances.
The Danger of Misplaced Identity
John the Baptist understood something profound when he declared, "He must increase, but I must decrease" (John 3:30). Here was a man with a significant ministry, a large following, and an important role as the forerunner of the Messiah. Yet when Jesus began His ministry and John's followers started leaving to follow Christ, John didn't cling to his position. He recognized that his identity wasn't wrapped up in his role—it was rooted in something far deeper.
Too often, we make the mistake John avoided. We tie our identity to our roles: parent, spouse, professional, friend. We define ourselves by what we do rather than whose we are. And when those roles inevitably shift—through job loss, death, empty nest, or betrayal—we find ourselves lost, asking, "Who am I now?"
The truth is, our primary identity is as children of God. When we accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, we become sons and daughters of the Most High. This identity doesn't change with our circumstances. It remains constant through every season, every loss, every transition.
The Ministry We All Share
Scripture reveals that God has given every believer a specific task: the ministry of reconciliation. As 2 Corinthians 5:18-21 explains, God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, and He has entrusted us with this same message and mission.
Reconciliation means the restoration of broken or estranged relationships—first between God and humanity, and then between people. This isn't a calling reserved for pastors or ministry leaders. It's the assignment of every follower of Christ, regardless of age or experience.
What would change in your home if you saw yourself first as a minister of reconciliation? Instead of trying to control, manage, or rule over others, what if you approached your family, friends, and even strangers as someone called to restore and heal relationships?
This ministry begins with receiving God's love ourselves. We cannot give what we haven't received. When we connect to God's love, His love heals us. And from that place of healing, we can extend that same love to others.
The Pride That Pushes God Away
There's an acronym worth remembering: EGO—Edging God Out. When we operate in pride, we're essentially aligning ourselves with the enemy's original sin. Satan's downfall, described in Isaiah 14:12-15, came from his repeated declarations of "I will"—I will ascend, I will exalt my throne, I will be like the Most High.
Pride magnifies self. Humility magnifies Christ.
Pride shows up in subtle ways: the quiet judgments we make about others, the criticism that flows so easily, the need to be seen and recognized, the impatience when things don't happen on our timeline. Pride makes us feel superior and more deserving. It breeds suspicion, sows discord, and ultimately pushes God to the margins of our lives.
The antidote is found in 1 Peter 5:5-7: "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up in honor."
Notice the timing: "at the right time." Not our time. His time. This requires submission, trust, faith, and patience—qualities increasingly rare in our instant-gratification culture.
The Magnitude of Who He Is
Understanding who Jesus truly is changes everything. John 1:1-3 declares: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made."
Jesus isn't just a good teacher or a wise prophet. He is God. The Word became flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:14). Colossians 1:15-17 further reveals that Christ is "the visible image of the invisible God" and that "everything was created through Him and for Him. He existed before anything else, and He holds all creation together."
When we shrink Jesus to fit our preferences or cultural comfort, we live small. But when we see Him as Scripture reveals Him—supreme, sovereign, sufficient, all-knowing, ever-present—we gain proper perspective on everything else.
We serve a triune God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. And when we accept Christ as Savior, He places His Spirit inside us. All the power of the triune God dwelling within us, making us temples of His presence. We have access to His power, His gifts, His wisdom, His comfort, His counsel.
Setting Our Sights on Eternal Realities
Colossians 3:1-4 instructs us to set our sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits at God's right hand. We're told to think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth, "for you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God."
Your real life. Not the chaos, conflict, and trouble that assault you daily. Your real life is hidden with Christ in God. This world is not our citizenship anymore. We're still in it, but we're not of it.
This perspective shift is crucial. When all we see and talk about are the problems, how empowered can we feel? But when we look at the redemption of Christ and the victory He's already won, everything changes.
Clothed in Humility and Love
Colossians 3:12 calls us to clothe ourselves with "tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience." But above all these, we're to clothe ourselves with love, "which binds us all together in perfect harmony" (Colossians 3:14).
Never minimize the love of God. His love isn't weak or sentimental—it has power to resurrect what was dead or destroyed. His love laid down His life so we could live. His love covers a multitude of sins.
When we position God as first in our lives and intentionally set our time, thoughts, and hearts on Him, He heals us—not just physically, but emotionally and spiritually. He heals heartache, disappointment, despair, anger, and grief.
The invitation stands: humble yourself before God. Ask Him to search your heart and expose anything that creates distance between you and Him. Surrender pride, offense, and unforgiveness. Receive His grace, mercy, and healing.
When we exalt Christ alone, everything else bows in submission to Him—including our problems, fears, and the lies we've believed. In His presence, we find our true identity, our purpose, and the peace that surpasses understanding.
He is worthy. So worthy. And when we make Him big, everything else becomes beautifully, mercifully small.
To watch "Christ Alone Exalt Thee" Please Click Here
This isn't just positive thinking or mental gymnastics. It's the reality of what happens when we magnify Christ instead of magnifying our circumstances.
The Danger of Misplaced Identity
John the Baptist understood something profound when he declared, "He must increase, but I must decrease" (John 3:30). Here was a man with a significant ministry, a large following, and an important role as the forerunner of the Messiah. Yet when Jesus began His ministry and John's followers started leaving to follow Christ, John didn't cling to his position. He recognized that his identity wasn't wrapped up in his role—it was rooted in something far deeper.
Too often, we make the mistake John avoided. We tie our identity to our roles: parent, spouse, professional, friend. We define ourselves by what we do rather than whose we are. And when those roles inevitably shift—through job loss, death, empty nest, or betrayal—we find ourselves lost, asking, "Who am I now?"
The truth is, our primary identity is as children of God. When we accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, we become sons and daughters of the Most High. This identity doesn't change with our circumstances. It remains constant through every season, every loss, every transition.
The Ministry We All Share
Scripture reveals that God has given every believer a specific task: the ministry of reconciliation. As 2 Corinthians 5:18-21 explains, God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, and He has entrusted us with this same message and mission.
Reconciliation means the restoration of broken or estranged relationships—first between God and humanity, and then between people. This isn't a calling reserved for pastors or ministry leaders. It's the assignment of every follower of Christ, regardless of age or experience.
What would change in your home if you saw yourself first as a minister of reconciliation? Instead of trying to control, manage, or rule over others, what if you approached your family, friends, and even strangers as someone called to restore and heal relationships?
This ministry begins with receiving God's love ourselves. We cannot give what we haven't received. When we connect to God's love, His love heals us. And from that place of healing, we can extend that same love to others.
The Pride That Pushes God Away
There's an acronym worth remembering: EGO—Edging God Out. When we operate in pride, we're essentially aligning ourselves with the enemy's original sin. Satan's downfall, described in Isaiah 14:12-15, came from his repeated declarations of "I will"—I will ascend, I will exalt my throne, I will be like the Most High.
Pride magnifies self. Humility magnifies Christ.
Pride shows up in subtle ways: the quiet judgments we make about others, the criticism that flows so easily, the need to be seen and recognized, the impatience when things don't happen on our timeline. Pride makes us feel superior and more deserving. It breeds suspicion, sows discord, and ultimately pushes God to the margins of our lives.
The antidote is found in 1 Peter 5:5-7: "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up in honor."
Notice the timing: "at the right time." Not our time. His time. This requires submission, trust, faith, and patience—qualities increasingly rare in our instant-gratification culture.
The Magnitude of Who He Is
Understanding who Jesus truly is changes everything. John 1:1-3 declares: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made."
Jesus isn't just a good teacher or a wise prophet. He is God. The Word became flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:14). Colossians 1:15-17 further reveals that Christ is "the visible image of the invisible God" and that "everything was created through Him and for Him. He existed before anything else, and He holds all creation together."
When we shrink Jesus to fit our preferences or cultural comfort, we live small. But when we see Him as Scripture reveals Him—supreme, sovereign, sufficient, all-knowing, ever-present—we gain proper perspective on everything else.
We serve a triune God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. And when we accept Christ as Savior, He places His Spirit inside us. All the power of the triune God dwelling within us, making us temples of His presence. We have access to His power, His gifts, His wisdom, His comfort, His counsel.
Setting Our Sights on Eternal Realities
Colossians 3:1-4 instructs us to set our sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits at God's right hand. We're told to think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth, "for you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God."
Your real life. Not the chaos, conflict, and trouble that assault you daily. Your real life is hidden with Christ in God. This world is not our citizenship anymore. We're still in it, but we're not of it.
This perspective shift is crucial. When all we see and talk about are the problems, how empowered can we feel? But when we look at the redemption of Christ and the victory He's already won, everything changes.
Clothed in Humility and Love
Colossians 3:12 calls us to clothe ourselves with "tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience." But above all these, we're to clothe ourselves with love, "which binds us all together in perfect harmony" (Colossians 3:14).
Never minimize the love of God. His love isn't weak or sentimental—it has power to resurrect what was dead or destroyed. His love laid down His life so we could live. His love covers a multitude of sins.
When we position God as first in our lives and intentionally set our time, thoughts, and hearts on Him, He heals us—not just physically, but emotionally and spiritually. He heals heartache, disappointment, despair, anger, and grief.
The invitation stands: humble yourself before God. Ask Him to search your heart and expose anything that creates distance between you and Him. Surrender pride, offense, and unforgiveness. Receive His grace, mercy, and healing.
When we exalt Christ alone, everything else bows in submission to Him—including our problems, fears, and the lies we've believed. In His presence, we find our true identity, our purpose, and the peace that surpasses understanding.
He is worthy. So worthy. And when we make Him big, everything else becomes beautifully, mercifully small.
To watch "Christ Alone Exalt Thee" Please Click Here
Posted in We Exalt Thee
Posted in Christ alone, We exalt thee, 2 Corinthians 5:18-21, pride, Colossians 3:1-4, Gods Love, Mercy, John the Baptist, Misplaced Identity, 1 Peter 5:5-7, The Word, Humility
Posted in Christ alone, We exalt thee, 2 Corinthians 5:18-21, pride, Colossians 3:1-4, Gods Love, Mercy, John the Baptist, Misplaced Identity, 1 Peter 5:5-7, The Word, Humility
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