Friday, July 13, 2007
Eyes on Him
Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.
—Hebrews 12:1–2
Holocaust survivor Corrie ten Boom once said, “Look within and be depressed. Look without and be distressed. Look at Jesus and be at rest.” Looking without, she had reason to be distressed. She lived in a concentration camp. She saw her sister and father die. She saw others die. Looking within, she felt depressed as she saw the darkness of her own heart. But seeing the example of her godly sister Betsy, who saw the bright side of everything and was always trusting God, she concluded, “Look at Jesus and be at rest.”
The Bible says that Abraham “did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform” (Romans 4:20–21). The word “waver” used in this verse could also be translated “stagger.” It would imply that this unwavering walk of Abraham took place with his eyes fixed on the promise of God.
Hebrews 12:1–2 urges us to “lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.”
As we walk with God, people will let us down. People will disappoint us. Circumstances will be hard. The enemy will hassle us. This is when we need to remember why we started to walk with God in the first place. It was because of Jesus. So keep your eyes fixed on Him. That will keep you moving forward, because the only way we will make it as Christians is by keeping our eyes on Jesus Christ.
For more relevant and biblical teaching from Pastor Greg Laurie, go to www.harvest.org.
Copyright © 2007 by Harvest Ministries. All rights reserved.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Bible text from the New King James Version is not to be reproduced in copies or otherwise by any means except as permitted in writing by Thomas Nelson, Inc., Attn: Bible Rights and Permissions,