DAILY DEVOTIONAL – October 29, 2020
“Fixed”
Prayer: Almighty God, we know that You are perfectly faithful to Your promises to be with us, provide for us and care for us always. But we confess at times we cannot see past ourselves. Give us the eyes of faith Lord so that at all times and in all places we might glorify Your Name. Amen.
Scripture: Hebrews 12:1-3
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
Devotional – “Fixed”
It is so easy to become fixated and overwhelmed by our problems, anxieties, doubts, imperfections and sins. To stay focused on all or any of the circumstances or episodes in our life prevents you from seeing the bigger picture, and will cause us to lose sight of the hope and glory of God that reigns over, in and through our lives.
This is why the book of Hebrews tells us to “fix our eyes on Jesus”. Jesus is Risen from the dead and very much alive and very much with us in all places and at all times. He never leaves us or forsakes us. We find it difficult to see Him not because He is not there, but because we either lose focus or let one or both eyes focus on the incidentals in life. God reveals Himself and His great love and mercy toward us not by removing the mess of life, but by literally getting into it with us. He did this by taking on flesh in Jesus Christ and by taking our sins upon Himself, nailing them to the cross and rising again from the dead so that we would be forgiven and be given true eternal life and true hope even through the messy and blurry times of life.
Knowing and trusting that the Risen Lord Jesus is here, with us, even in the midst of life is what gives us the strength and courage to look through our problems, to keep our eyes focused on His cross and His love, looking past the sin and shame to the open arms of Jesus who invites us to lay our burdens on Him. This is exactly what our passage from Hebrews is saying, “And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”
The most important and meaningful things in life are not able to be seen with the eyes in our head. It was the blind and deaf American author and political activists Helen Keller that said, “The best things in life are unseen, that’s why we close our eyes when we kiss, cry, and dream.” Long before Helen Keller, the Apostle Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 4:18, “So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”
So my friends, let us look with the eyes of faith, to Jesus who is the author and perfecter of our faith. For as Hebrews 11:1 says, “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.”
Thanks for joining me for another devotional in God’s Word, and remember, that God has forgiven yesterday, is with you today and has already taken care of tomorrow. Amen.
