It’s All About Jesus
But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God (Acts 20:24).
These bold and beautiful words from the Apostle Paul to the Ephesian elders are encouraging, challenging and humbling. Paul was so captivated by the grace and love of God that he lived out the truth of Psalm 63:3: Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you.
He was completely satisfied in Christ. Nothing—no amount of health, wealth, power, or prestige—could pull him away from the mission Jesus had given him. His life was no longer his own. Simply put, his life was all about Jesus.
And that forces a question for each of us: Is my life all about Jesus—or is it about something else?
Too often, if we’re honest, our lives revolve around ourselves. Each day is measured by how we feel, how others treat us, or what circumstances we face. In those moments, God’s steadfast love can get eclipsed by our personal experiences. We become so consumed with our own narrative that we lose sight of God’s presence and power.
But real growth doesn’t come from deeper introspection—it comes from deeper submission. Growth in the Gospel happens when we humbly come before Jesus, again and again.
True Gospel humility is not self-loathing but Christ-exalting. It grows as we grasp the depth of our sin and the greater depth of God’s grace in Christ. As we mature in Christ, we become increasingly aware of how undeserving we are—and how glorious Jesus is.
The Puritan John Flavel put it beautifully: “When the corn is nearly ripe it bows the head and stoops lower than when it was green. When the people of God are near ripe for heaven, they grow more humble and self-denying… Paul had one foot in heaven when he called himself the chiefest of sinners and least of saints.”
That is the paradox of grace: the more we grow in Christ, the lower we bow before Him. Gospel humility is the fruit of being rooted in the cross, where we see our sin judged and our Savior exalted.
So what if our days weren’t filtered through self, but through the lens of Christ? What if our circumstances and conversations were no longer the center—but Jesus was?
Jesus didn’t come to take life from us; He came to give it. Yet many of us are weary, burdened, and overwhelmed—not because of Jesus, but because we’ve put ourselves back at the center.
Paul knew hardship. He endured pain, persecution, and pressure—and yet he remained fixed on Jesus: Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea… in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst… And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches (2 Corinthians 11:24–28).
Still, his devotion didn’t waver. Why? Because he had already surrendered. He had let go of everything in this life to gain the One who is better than life—Jesus.
As we surrender day by day, moment by moment, we begin to live with joy—not because of who we are, but because of who He is. The result? A shift in perspective. Gospel humility replaces self-centered living, and in that, we find true satisfaction.
It’s all about Jesus. His steadfast love is greater than life.
Scripture quotations are from The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
