Leadership Letters
Leadership Letters

Writings on Christian leadership and leader development by Malcolm Webber

January 2014
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Jesus is the Source of Everything

Malcolm WebberMalcolm Webber

Everything is in Jesus. Do not seek anything outside of Jesus. He died on the cross to restore you to Himself.

Jesus did not die just so that you may live a righteous, ethical life; He died to restore you to Himself, and in union with Him your heart will be captivated by the beauty and invigorated by the power of Divinely-imparted holiness. He did not die that you might be bound with a life of religious busyness and duty; He died to bring you to Himself that you may know the delightful privilege of living every moment in His gracious fellowship and zealous service.

So let Him be your desire; purely to behold and to know Him your longing. Be captivated with Him; and not just so you will receive anything from Him or can do anything for Him. But seek communion with Him simply because He is precious. Worship Him merely because He is God and you are man. Let Him become your song just because He is worthy. Long for Him for His own sake. Hunger for Him for no motive other than Him. Thirst for Him because only He can ever satisfy.

And when you come to this place – when you will seek Him and Him alone for no other motive than to behold Him, to know Him, to love Him and to worship Him – then you will find all the rest abundantly provided for. This is God’s order. This is true religion. This is the source of true leadership.

We need nothing beside Jesus. “Without him nothing was made that has been made” (John 1:3). He is the Source of all things, the Sustainer of all things, His glory the purpose of all things.

…all things have been created through Him and for Him. (Col. 1:16)

For from Him and through Him and for Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever! (Rom. 11:36)

What need do we have that He cannot fulfill? What other solution to anything is there but Him? What other reason for anything is there but Him? What foolishness that we should seek anyone or anything other than Him!

As Elder Brooks once wrote to John G. Lake, “I did wish to just hold up Jesus and make you look at Him from every angle and see how transportingly beautiful He is – how all sufficient He is – how He fills all – meets every requirement – satisfies every longing – is Himself the equipment for every service. Oh, John Lake, there is no other need of ours in this world or that to come but Jesus … Oh, my Brother John, I once looked for power – wanted equipment, sought usefulness – saw gifts in the distance – knew that dominion was somewhere in the future, but glory to God! One by one these faded, and as they faded there was a form, a figure emerged from the shadows which became clearer and more distinct as these other things faded and when they had all passed I saw ‘Jesus only’.”

Jesus is our Glorious One, our Holy One, our Perfectly Beautiful One, our Majestic One who is clothed with strength, honor and splendor, our Beloved, our Chiefest among Ten Thousand, our Most Excellent One, our Altogether Lovely One, the One who Himself is our Glory, whose greatness is unsearchable, whose Name alone is exalted, whose glory is above the heavens and the earth, the First, the Last, the only One worthy of all our heart and thoughts.

He is the Fountain-head of all glory and beauty; the Storehouse of all fragrance and purity. Set your gaze upon Him. You are His, and He is yours. Let your cry be after the closest intimacy and union with Him: “Let Him kiss me with the kisses of His mouth” (Song of Sol. 1:2). Let Him be your obsession, your captivation, your preoccupation. Be immersed in Him. Be engrossed in Him. Be absorbed in Him. For no other reason than Himself.

One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to inquire in His temple. (Ps. 27:4)

David’s desire was to look upon His Lord, to contemplate His beauty, to dwell in the house of the Lord. “As for me, I will behold your face” (Ps. 17:15; 2 Sam. 7:18; Ps. 65:4). To David the place of God’s manifest Presence was the “perfection of beauty”, the “joy of the whole earth”. He delighted in His Lord. He took pleasure in His Lord. He adored the Pre-incarnate Son of God. He wanted simply to be with Him, to look upon Him, to know Him, to love Him, to worship Him, to enjoy Him. That was David’s end, the highest purpose of his life. This is the heart fully turned towards the Lord, of which God Himself said that it was “perfect” before Him (1 Kings 15:3; 1 Sam. 13:14; Acts 13:22), in spite of David’s obvious failings.

You were created by Him and for Him. He is your end, your only purpose. He created your heart to desire, love, enjoy and worship Him. Only He can ever satisfy your deepest need. No matter what it is that you lack in your life, your real lack, your real need is Jesus. In truth, He is your only need. It is all in Him. Pursue Him. The rest will follow. And, dear friend, even if it does not follow, what will you care? Your heart will be complete and content in Him.

The cause of our difficulties is that we seek His gifts, His works and His ways, while ignoring Him. But what is the sense in looking for light or heat and disregarding the sun! What is the rationality in searching for water and neglecting the ocean?

Stop seeking His and instead seek Him! Cease seeking anything but Him. He is the beginning and the end. There was nothing before Him, and there will be nothing after Him. No matter what your need, you must seek His face. Your answer is nowhere else obtainable. He is your Infinite, Unlimited, Eternal Source of everything. And in Him you are complete.

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