The One True Message
“For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel." — 1 Corinthians 1:17
Paul’s life was singular in purpose—he was not called to build a following, create movements, or even emphasize personal transformation as the ultimate goal. He was called to proclaim the reality of Redemption in Christ. The Gospel is not about self-improvement or even our sanctification—it is the declaration of Christ's finished work, the proclamation that God has reconciled the world to Himself through Jesus.
Too often, believers become consumed with their own spiritual progress, as though Redemption’s aim were merely their personal holiness. But Paul saw beyond this—he saw the magnitude of what Christ had accomplished. Jesus did not suffer and rise merely to make a few people pious. He laid down His life to restore all things, to bring about the grand reconciliation of humanity to the Father.
The message is Christ. Not a method, not a self-help strategy, not even the process of growing in grace. When He is lifted up, the life that flows from Him transforms everything. We need not beg Him for what He has already accomplished. We need not shrink the vastness of His work to the narrowness of our own concerns.
Like a sunrise breaking over the horizon, the Gospel illuminates all of life. The light is not meant to be analyzed or hoarded but to be seen, received, and shared. Paul lived in that light, not using the message for himself but giving himself fully to the message. So must we.
Reflection:
Have you subtly made your walk with Christ more about your own growth than about the reality of who He is?
Are you proclaiming a message of self-improvement, or are you lifting up Christ?
In what ways can you rest in the finished work of Redemption instead of striving for what has already been given?
Prayer:
Father, You have done it all. The work is finished, the Gospel is true, and Redemption is complete. Christ is the message, and in Him, all is made new. Thank You for the privilege of bearing witness to this reality. Keep my heart fixed on lifting Him up, not on self-occupation. In Christ alone, all things hold together, and in Him, I stand secure. Amen.
This devotional draws from Oswald Chambers' insights in My Utmost for His Highest, challenging us to embrace the true scope of Redemption and to proclaim Christ alone.