Many of us have heard the following phrase: "Keep your eyes on Jesus." Do we really know what it means? How do we keep our eyes on Jesus if we can't physically see Him?
We have an
example to follow. Jesus Christ is our example by His life, death, and
resurrection. We are to walk in His ways. We are to live to please God.
First,
we need to recognize the difference between living in the Spirit and living in
the flesh. “That’s why those who are
still under the control of their sinful nature [who] are in the flesh cannot please God.” (Romans 8:8). Our sin nature
abides within our flesh. When we are saved, The Holy Spirit comes to dwell
within us. Then our life can be different. “You
are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if
you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that those who do not
have the Spirit of Christ living in them do not belong to him at all.)” (Romans
8:9)
So, how do we
keep our eyes on Jesus? We do so by daily crucifying our flesh and living in the
Spirit. When we die to sin, we can be resurrected to a new life in the Spirit
through obedience to God.
How else do
we keep our eyes on Jesus? By reading His Word, the Holy Bible, daily,
mediating on it both day and night, and obeying it. (Joshua 1:8). It is equally
important every day to: “Pray without
ceasing.” (1 Thessalonians 5:17)
Is there more
to keeping our eyes on Jesus? Yes! Of course! See Deuteronomy, Matthew, Mark,
and Luke in the Bible for how important it is to always love the Lord, your God,
with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength. In
the New Testament of the Holy Bible, we also learn that it is equally important
to love our neighbor as we love our self.
We also need
to daily obey God by seeking Him to fulfill His purpose for our life. We may
need to pause to forgive others and ourselves (when we slip up). Our focus
should be to “seek those things above”
(the eternal). (Colossians 3:1)
In keeping
our eyes on Jesus, and living by His example, we will glorify God and His peace
will rule our hearts (see below).
“... [Jesus] Christ is all that matters, and he lives in
all of us [who are saved]. Since God chose you to be the holy
people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness,
humility, gentleness, and patience. Make allowance for each
other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave
you, so you must forgive others. Above all, clothe yourselves with
love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. And let the peace that
comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called
to live in peace. And always be thankful.” (Colossians 3:11-15)
Most
importantly of all, it is by faith
that we can keep our eyes on Jesus and believe that He is the Savior of the
world. He is our Savior because we have believed, repented, and accepted Him
into our hearts through faith.
“It was by faith that Moses left the land of
Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger. He kept right on going because he kept his eyes on the One who is invisible.”
(Hebrews 11:27 — my emphasis in bold)
“...
I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the
past and looking forward to what lies ahead. I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize
for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.” (Philippians 3:13-14)
Until
we virtually meet again, may God call you to Himself.
God’s
Word for Today: “Therefore, since we are
surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip
off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us
up. And let us run with endurance the race that God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus
the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting
Him, He endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now He is seated in the
place of honor beside God’s throne. Think of all the hostility he endured from
sinful people, then you won’t become weary and give up. After all, you have not
yet given your lives in your struggle against sin.” (Hebrews 12:1-4 — my
emphasis in bold)
Copyright
© 2014 by Patricia Shehan
All scripture is quoted from various translations of the Holy Bible (God’s Word) and is set in italics and quotation marks.
All scripture is quoted from various translations of the Holy Bible (God’s Word) and is set in italics and quotation marks.