Originally by Karl Johnson at A Radical Journey

Center - Charlie Hall

You’re the center of the universe
Everything was made in You Jesus
Breath of every living thing
Everyone was made for You

You hold everything together
You hold everything together

Christ be the center of our lives
Be the place we fix our eyes
Be the center of our lives

We lift our eyes to heaven
We wrap our lives around your life
We lift our eyes to heaven, to You

As I'm sitting here thinking of the second chapter of Numbers, this is the song that pops into my head.

In this chapter the LORD is directing Moses on how to organize the Israelites' camp whenever they stop. He has Moses set up the tabernacle in the center of camp, with the Levites directly surrounding it, then lays out the rest of the tribes of Israel surrounding the tent of meeting. While there is definitely some significance there, the part that stood out the most to me came in verse 2:

...They shall camp facing the tent of meeting on every side. - Numbers 2:2

So not only was the camp arranged with the tent of meeting in the center, all of Israel was to orient themselves facing the tabernacle. It was where they were to "fix their eyes," if you will.

The tabernacle was where the presence of God dwelled.

The tabernacle was the center of the camp.

The tabernacle is where they were to orient themselves towards.

This has been a theme I've noticed consistently throughout the last few books as the presence of God has moved to dwell amongst the Israelites: they were to look to God for all direction. They looked to the presence of God to tell them when it was time to move on, and when it was time to camp (Exodus 40:36-38), and now, the LORD is ensuring that His presence is the center of their lives.

It's amazing what a difference it makes in your life when you make Christ the center. One of the things I've been open about from the start is that I have struggled with consistency in centering my life around Christ daily, and I've noticed the effect it has over time: I become more easily depressed, more likely to compromise my beliefs, more likely to talk badly about others, and overall more likely to slip into old sin patterns. And I really do believe it is a daily thing: to daily make the choice to fix your eyes on Christ.

This struggle is a significant motivation behind this blog and the bible:365 project: to daily, consistently, make Christ the center of my life. It's amazing what a difference it makes.

This is a year of trying again: recommitting to spending time with God daily through prayer, worship, and reading through the Bible. I haven't been perfect, but it's been an improvement. And isn't that the best we can hope for? Nothing's going to be perfect. But when this day is better than yesterday, that's progress. Progress is good. And in that progress I've noticed I'm living a life more filled with joy than before, more filled with the Love of Christ, more aware of his presence, and knowing the peace that comes with it. It's not perfect, but it's better than before.

So, my encouragement to you is that making the choice to daily center your life on Christ is worth it; better today than yesterday is progress, and progress is good; there are others on this journey as well, and we can be here to lift each other up.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, [fixing our eyes on] Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. -Hebrews 12:1-2

Have you struggled with making Christ the center of your life every day? What can we do to "fix our eyes on Christ?"

Originally from Karl Johnson at A Radical Journey

What does it mean to be holy?

This question is central to an accurate reading of the book of Leviticus, as holiness is the key theme of this book. Not only does God tell the people of Israel what places and things are holy, he charges them repeatedly to be holy themselves.

For I am the Lord who brought you up out of the land of Egypt to be your God. You shall therefore be holy, for I am holy. -Leviticus 11:45

The Lord wants his people to emulate him in his holiness, a call which he puts forth relentlessly.

Speak to all the congregation of the people of Israel and say to them, You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy. - Leviticus 19:2

Consecrate yourselves, therefore, and be holy, for I am the Lord your God. - Leviticus 20:7

You shall be holy to me, for I the Lord am holy and have separated you from the peoples, that you should be mine. - Leviticus 20:26

This focus on holiness reminds me of a thought I had while reading Exodus.  In the passages explicating the consecration of the priesthood, a particular phrase stood out to me.

Whenever they enter the Tent of Meeting, they shall wash with water so that they will not die. Also, when they approach the altar to minister by presenting an offering made to the LORD by fire, they shall wash their hands and feet so that they will not die. This is to be a lasting ordinance for Aaron and his descendants for the generations to come. - Exodus 30:20-21

"So that they will not die..."

The priesthood's role was to intercede with God for the people, to offer sacrifices, and enter into his presence.  The ordination and cleansing rituals were to prepare them to enter God's presence by making them holy, only then could they be in the holiness of the Lord's presence and not perish.

The majestic power of God's presence is enough to obliterate any unholiness.

After God calls out to Moses in the burning bush, what is the first thing the Lord says to Moses?

Then he said, “Do not come near; take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” - Exodus 3:5

They took the holiness of the Lord's presence seriously.

Do we take our sandals off for holy ground?  Do we give enough reverence to God?

Sometimes I think it is an attribute of God we don't focus on very often, his holiness.

We talk a lot about God's love and compassion. We may even spend some time on God's wrath.  But I wonder if the truth of God's holiness gets passed over.

A.W. Tozer address this problem in his book, The Knowledge of the Holy:

[The message of this book] is called forth by a condition which has existed in the Church for some years and is steadily growing worse.  I refer to the loss of the concept of majesty from the popular religious mind.  The Church has surrendered her once lofty concept of God and has substituted for it one so low, so ignoble, as to be utterly unworthy of thinking, worshipping men.  This she has done not deliberately, but little by little and without her knowledge; and her very unawares only makes the situation all the more tragic (Tozer, vii).

The holiness of God is something you and I cannot fully understand on our own.

We know nothing like the divine holiness.  It stands apart, unique, unapproachable, incomprehensible and unattainable.  The natural man is blind to it (Tozer, 104).

So what does that mean for us being holy?

Holiness in the Old Testament was important for the entire nation of Israel, but for the priesthood, it was paramount.  The priesthood was called to a higher standard of holiness.  So how does this relate to us?

As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ... But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. - 1 Peter 2:4-5, 9

According to Peter, we are now all priests.

Does that mean we are held to the same standard of holiness that the Israelite priests were held to?  If we want to "be in God's presence," or to "invite his presence among us," should we cleanse ourselves of all unholiness first?

Thankfully, as a people surrendered to God, we do not have to worry about our own holiness, for our holiness comes from another:

And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption - 1 Corinthians 1:30

So, in the face of God's majestic holiness, what can we do?

We must like Moses cover ourselves with faith and humility while we steal a quick look at the God whom no man can see and live.  The broken and contrite heart He will not despise.  We must hide our unholiness in the wounds of Christ as Moses hid himself in the cleft of the rock while the glory of God passed by.  We must take refuge from God in God.  Above all we must believe that God sees us perfect in His Son while He disciplines us and chastens and purges us that we may be partakers in His holiness (Tozer, 107).

So, let us take some time out of our day to meditate on the One-Beyond-Comprehension, He-Who-Is-Set-Apart, the Lord-Most-Holy, and give thanks that our righteousness is in Christ.

Do you think the holiness of God is overlooked too often? How can the Church regain its awe at the majesty of God? What did you learn from Leviticus?