Fixed Eyes
"Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart." Hebrews 12:2-3
As the movie scene rolls on, the battle between the special forces and the terrorists, along with those helping them, reaches an extreme crescendo. One of the bad guys manages to drop a grenade right in the middle of the good guys who are pinned down by machine gun fire. Without hesitating, the commanding officer yells, "Grenade!", and then dives on top of the grenade buffering his troops from the explosion. His death saved their lives. Intense? Heart-breaking? Sad? Yes. Courageous? Selfless? Honorable? Also yes.
The writer of Hebrews recounts a similar, yet true story. The salvation story he reminds us of however, involves Jesus. His mission? Save the world. His path to the throne room of God? The cross. The inspiration provided by the courageous and the self-sacrificing is simply too massive to measure. How much more the greatest sacrifice of all time! In the writer's estimation, fixed eyes on the divine hero will power us through all that this old world is going to throw at us.
We can focus our gaze on any number of options. Some have the potential to take strength. Others have the potential to give strength. Only one, however, has the power to escort us, blameless, into the presence of God. Who or what has our attention these days? Where are our eyes fixed? If weariness and fear are dogging our steps, we can be quite confident that our eyes are not on Jesus.
Grace and Peace,
Tom
As the movie scene rolls on, the battle between the special forces and the terrorists, along with those helping them, reaches an extreme crescendo. One of the bad guys manages to drop a grenade right in the middle of the good guys who are pinned down by machine gun fire. Without hesitating, the commanding officer yells, "Grenade!", and then dives on top of the grenade buffering his troops from the explosion. His death saved their lives. Intense? Heart-breaking? Sad? Yes. Courageous? Selfless? Honorable? Also yes.
The writer of Hebrews recounts a similar, yet true story. The salvation story he reminds us of however, involves Jesus. His mission? Save the world. His path to the throne room of God? The cross. The inspiration provided by the courageous and the self-sacrificing is simply too massive to measure. How much more the greatest sacrifice of all time! In the writer's estimation, fixed eyes on the divine hero will power us through all that this old world is going to throw at us.
We can focus our gaze on any number of options. Some have the potential to take strength. Others have the potential to give strength. Only one, however, has the power to escort us, blameless, into the presence of God. Who or what has our attention these days? Where are our eyes fixed? If weariness and fear are dogging our steps, we can be quite confident that our eyes are not on Jesus.
Grace and Peace,
Tom
Comments
Post a Comment