Being devoted to centering my life in the Gospel and seeking to be defined by nothing less has been an amazing journey for me over the past few years.  It probably began when I became a Senior Pastor, preaching each week, trying to shepherd a hurting church through some difficult days and I kept coming back to the message of first importance.  I attended the first Together For the Gospel in 2006 and something resonated with me.  It was at this point I set out to preach through Mark’s Gospel, then Colossians and am currently in Hebrews.  Through these expositions, I’ve come to love and appreciate the core truth of my faith, the Gospel, more than ever.  Whether it’s the pure words of Jesus explaining who He is and what He came to do or the Apostle Paul demonstrating how Jesus’ supremacy looms large in all of life or the writer of Hebrews showing that in all the Bible there is none quite as majestic as the Divine Son, Jesus has become the point of my preaching and ministry.

In light of this truth, I often press home the fact that God’s not impressed with our religious devotion.  It’s not our practice of spiritual disciplines that determines our spiritual status, that is reserved for the Gospel alone.  I’ve been really helped in recent days, then, by Tim Brister (there might not be a more Gospel-centered writer on in the internet) and his musings on Gospel-Centered Spiritual Formation.

Here’s the graphic he’s posted to whet your appetite:

Having talked TGINL, and seen the Gospel enemies of self-righteousness, persistent guilt and self-reliance, I thought I’d wrap up this short series with a call to fight with the Gospel.  Again, I’m leaning on Jerry Bridges.  After urging us to begin our day by preaching the Gospel to ourselves, he urges us to add a Daily Declaration of Dependence:

• I recognize my absolute lack of power and ability.
• I redirect my dependence to the supremely reliable power of the Holy Spirit.
• I reject my tendency to self-reliance: “You are God, and I am not.”

And Bridges continues:

With our dependence on the righteousness of Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit renewed we proclaim to God, “We are your servants.” We work hard in the strength He provides, not to earn merit but to glorify and enjoy Him.

That really is what life is all about. Today, will you declare your dependence on God through His Gospel and in so doing set your feet on a path to glorify and enjoy Him, forever?