Fix Your Eyes on Jesus
By: Tiffany Thibault
Let us fix our eyes upon 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.- Hebrews 12:2
One warm summer day, my husband and I rented a 22-foot sailboat for a couple of hours to enjoy some time together in the San Diego Bay. He took his spot at the stern of the boat to steer the rudder, and I took my place up toward the middle so that I could manage the two sails. We enjoyed turning our boat and allowing the sails to catch the breeze to move us along at a dead run.
Partway through our time, we switched positions. I put my right hand on the rudder and my eyes on a point ahead in the distance. It was at this point it became my main responsibility to keep us on our current path. I had to keep the boat aligned with that distant object as my waypoint. If I took my eyes away from that waypoint, I could easily get us off course within seconds.
It would be dangerous for me to lose sight of that waypoint. Not only were there other boats in the water with us, but there was the shore, rocks and a bridge we could crash into. When we finally turned the boat around to head back to the marina, we once again chose a distant point for our eyes to focus on, to keep us on course.
That day in the sailboat I began to think about this verse: “Let us fix our eyes upon Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith.” To fix my eyes upon Jesus is not a one-time deal. I must make that effort each and every moment, and in every single circumstance of my life in my personal walk with the Lord to fix my eyes on Him and to not look away. I must allow Jesus to write His story in my life and allow Him to perfect my faith.
This definitely requires an effort on my part to always keep redirecting my course, to stay in tune with living for Him, by following His example through His life and teachings. How do I do this? The more that I spend time in the Word learning about Jesus, the easier it will be to keep my eyes on Him, no matter what.
The fog rolls in and the storms do come in life, and it sometimes seems as though I can’t even see Jesus in the midst of my circumstances. Those are the times when I have to press forward in faith, reminding myself that He is still there. I must intentionally fix my eyes on Jesus.
The Bible verse continues by saying, “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.” Jesus endured so much on that cross. He did it for you. His love for you put Him on that cross. He endured it. He scorned the shame of the cross. He hated it. We know He did it for love, but how did He do this? He did it by intentionally setting joy before Him. He put His focus on the joy that He would receive at the end of it, which was to sit down at the right hand of God in Heaven.
No matter what situation you are in at this very moment, you must do all that is in your power to fix your eyes on Jesus through it. Don’t take your eyes off of Him. Remind yourself of His promises to you in the Bible. Speak His truth into your life. He has a purpose for everything that you are going through right now. There will be storms; there will be times of peace. Through your days, fix your eyes on Jesus and purposefully set joy before you. There is the promise of heaven, of peace at the end of our trials, of one day sitting before the very throne of God. Don’t ever quit fixing your eyes on Jesus. He is our waypoint!
Tiffany Thibault enjoys living life with her husband, two daughters and one very large dog in San Diego. She not only homeschools her girls, but she also loves to write about Jesus and speak about Him to groups of women. She loves long walks, coffee and anything chocolate.
Related Resource: Jesus Calling - Stories of Faith
Kerry Washington, Andrea Bocelli, Reba McEntire, Mark Wahlberg, Tony Dungy, and Matthew McConaughey—what do all of these people have in common? They are all people of faith who have leaned on God in both the good and challenging times—and they’ve shown up to tell their stories of faith on The Jesus Calling Podcast. The Jesus Calling Podcast provides a place for people from all walks of life to share the heartaches, joys, and divine moments that keep them going.
Inspired by Sarah Young's classic devotional book, the Jesus Calling podcast has brought encouragement and peace to millions. New episodes drop every Thursday! Listen today on LifeAudio.com or wherever you find your podcasts.
Originally published Thursday, 15 September 2022.
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