HEBREWS 12:1-2 – 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, looking to 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.
THEME OF THE DAY. WHERE DO WE PLACE OUR GAZE? There are two ways the Bible defines our eyes. The obvious one is physical. Eyes are part of our creation. And oh, what a blessing eyesight is to the human experience from seeing the beauty of creation to the wonder of human love in relationships staring into the eyes of one loved. Another definition of eyesight in the Bible is spiritual. In the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, he prays, “that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints” (Ephesians 1:17-18). This “eyesight” is our spiritual understanding of divine truth; an illumination that leads to grasping eternal and spiritual realities. But it goes further. Our “spiritual eyesight” is exercised every day. In fact, the scripture of today is one of the applications – “looking to Jesus.” We are not called to a physical looking at Jesus. That will be someday when our faith gives way to sight. In this life, our “spiritual eyes” gaze upon Jesus as He is revealed by the Holy Spirit in His Word. Yet, there is a competing object that wants to take our “spiritual eyes” off Jesus. It is our sin, and especially our past sin. If we are to live the Christian life as God designed and desires, we need to “fix our eyes on Jesus” and not ourselves. A failure to do so has significant spiritual consequences.
First, if we set our spiritual eyes on ourselves and past sin, we will find ourselves living with condemnation chained in the bondage of past regret and remorse. And the devil will come as the accuser of our souls seeking to ensure we live in this feeling of condemnation. Though we are not in a state of condemnation before God (Romans 8:1), if we fix our spiritual eyes on our failures, we will be controlled by the feelings of condemnation. Should the devil be successful, gone is the abundant life Jesus came to give; gone is the peace that passes understanding; gone is the joy of forgiveness. But we don’t need to go there or stay there . . . we can shift the object our spiritual eyes of understanding look upon.
Looking to Jesus, not ourselves and our sin, enables us to break free from the chains of condemnation and silence the accusations of the devil. If we learn to put our spiritual eyes on Jesus, we will see fullness of grace greater than our sin; we will gaze upon abundant mercy always ready to forgive; and we will lock eyes with Him who is love and never sees us through our many failures and sins.
When it comes to directing our eyes – physical and spiritual – to what we look upon, the choice is ours. May God help us to put our spiritual eyes on Jesus. It is this looking that points us to the Christian life God has provided – one walked in the fullness of joy realizing our standing with Him is one of forever forgiveness never condemnation.
PRAYER: “Father, help me to keep my eyes on Your Son, not my forgiven sin.”
QUOTE: “Your joy in the Lord will be determined by where you place your heart and mind – on Jesus or your sin.”