{"id":35214,"date":"2023-04-02T03:30:40","date_gmt":"2023-04-02T10:30:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lccredding.org\/church\/?p=35214"},"modified":"2023-03-30T17:23:02","modified_gmt":"2023-03-31T00:23:02","slug":"april-2-2023","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lccredding.org\/church\/2023\/04\/02\/april-2-2023\/","title":{"rendered":"April 2, 2023"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div><\/div><\/div>

Fix Your Eyes<\/strong><\/h2>\n

\u201c…Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame…\u201d <\/em>Hebrews 12:1-2<\/p>\n

The word \u201clooking\u201d in the above Scripture signifies undivided attention, looking away from all distractions in order to fix one\u02bcs gaze on one object. In this verse, \u201clooking\u201d means having eyes for no one but Jesus.<\/em><\/p>\n

I was privileged to see this idea demonstrated the other day. A young daddy was holding his one-month-old son out in front of him, the baby\u02bcs tiny feet touching the daddy\u02bcs chest. One hand, strong and steady, held the baby\u02bcs head, and the other hand held his bottom. The baby\u02bcs eyes were fixed on his daddy\u02bcs face. He did not gaze away for even a moment. Several of us were around this duo, cooing, touching the baby\u02bcs soft skin, commenting on his cute clothes, laughing happily at this joy. But the baby never looked at any of us. He was not distracted at all. No noise or touch brought alarm or distraction, for his daddy held him securely, and gazed right back at him.<\/p>\n

What a picture of our heavenly Father, who gazes intently upon us because of His great love for us. He never looks away, never loses His concentration on us, never allows His grasp on us to slip. He does not need to look away from us in order to see another; He is God and nothing is impossible for Him, even seeing in every direction at once.<\/p>\n

Psalm 139 tells us that God saw us being created in the womb (vs. 13, 16), sees us in the dark night (vs.12), sees us whether we are in the heights or depths or outer limits (vs. 8-9), and perhaps most amazingly, sees what is in our heart (vs. 23).<\/p>\n

This reminds me of a song we used to sing in church: \u201cTurn your eyes upon Jesus, Look full in His wonderful face, And the things of earth will grow strangely dim, In the light of His glory and grace.\u201d *<\/p>\n

Heavenly Father, You who love us so much, we ask you to grant us the ability to be fully focused on You, to fix our eyes on Your eyes, to be so enthralled with You that we cannot look away. In Jesus\u02bc Name, Amen.<\/em><\/p>\n

*Lemmel, Helen H. “Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus.” Glad Songs,<\/em> 1922, Public Domain.<\/h6>\n<\/div>
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