In Him Alone

He Is All I Need

“If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and we do not live out the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another; and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. (1 John 1:6-7)

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28)

A friend once told me that my sins were not forgiven because a priest didn’t give me absolution. While I respect her choice of beliefs, I wholeheartedly disagree with her statement. Everything I know about God’s Word and my walk with the Lord tells me that no human being can ever take the place of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross.

Although a Methodist today, I was raised in a Catholic household, and I understand where my friend was coming from. I was taught the same principles. However, what I was missing during those days, in the 1950s and 60s, was a personal relationship with Jesus. Back then, I was never encouraged to read and study the Bible because the priest would read it and explain it to us. I understand that today, this is no longer the case, and Bible study is encouraged

When I was a child, I was given a statue of the Infant of Prague for Christmas. I said prayers and novenas to this statue, and it became the focus of my faith for a long time. In one sense, I knew that I was praying to Jesus, but in another, the focus of my adoration was not so much on Him but on the beauty and awe of the statue itself.

Today, however, my focus is on my relationship with Jesus and Him alone. In the above verse from Matthew, Jesus encourages us to go directly to Him for solace, comfort, and rest. He is not unreachable. Earlier in Matthew, Jesus tells us to “ask and it will be given to you, seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened to you.” (Matthew 7:7). While I will always show reverence to the Lord, I will also accept His invitation to walk with Him through the power of the Holy Spirit, without intermediaries. He is all I need.