Fixing our eyes on Jesus

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Scripture

fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
(Hebrews 12:2 NASB)

 

Observation


As children of faith we are to fix our eyes on the goal. The goal of our lives is Jesus himself. Jesus is the one who brings to completion our faith for because of his death on the cross, he is now at the right hand of the Father in heaven. Therefore I must fix my eyes on him, the goal, and in my spiritual journey continue to move toward him on a daily basis. The end result is that I have the privilege of joining him someday in heaven.

 

Application


Distractions! Everywhere in life these days there are distractions. Television is a distraction. Music is a distraction. Computers are a distraction. Smart phones are a distraction. How can we ever pull ourselves from the distractions and fix our eyes on Jesus Christ? That is the challenge of our day. All of the distractions are not bad, but if they keep us from the goal, they are destructive. Therefore I must ask God to help me to work through the distractions of life and still continually fix my eyes on Jesus.

When Jesus came to this earth on that first Christmas day, most people missed it! Why? Because they were distracted by life. The religious folks who had been waiting for the Messiah missed it! The government officials missed it! The ones who didn't miss it were the shepherds who were out in the field. On the night of Jesus' birth they were quiet and they heard the angel voices. Not only did they hear, but they immediately responded to the voice. They were the ones who were not distracted. The wise men were not distracted. Although they lived in a far off country they were intent on knowing the new king. They fixed their eyes on the goal and traveled for an extended period of time to arrive in Bethlehem and see the newborn king.

Today I have my list of to-do's. Normally my to-do list is quite long because whenever I'm able to check something off, there i something new added. However, the one thing that should always be on the top of my to-do list is Jesus! I want to fix my eyes and my life so much on him that everything else comes in after him. Even in this Christmas season as we are supposed to be celebrating his coming, we become distracted by the "trappings" and take our glance away from him. May we purposefully keep our eyes on him this year, this Christmas season. May we ask that Jesus infiltrate every part of our Christmas celebrations and may we lift up to the world the one on whom we have chosen to fix our gaze. He is the object of our love and our lives. He is the goal. Our eyes are fixed on him.

 

Prayer


Lord, please help me to fight my way through the distractions of life and keep my eyes on you. Amen.

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