Hebrews 12:2 "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." This passage explains where Jesus focused his attention, “the joy set before Him.” That joy allowed him to “endure the cross, scorning its shame. What was that joy set before him? Sitting “down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
We come to Jesus by grace through faith. We live by grace through faith. We are met with circumstances that give us choices from one moment in life to the next. They are not meant to push us away from God but to cause us to push into Him by faith. Romans 8:28 tells us that those circumstances will be worked out for our good, as we are called according to his purpose. Throughout life’s challenges, Romans 8:29 contends that as we keep our eyes on Jesus, whatever we face will be used to “conform us to the image of God’s Son.” God has left us weapons for our spiritual warfare. Weapons intended to help us “fix our eyes on Jesus…” We are offered intentional weapons for strategic placement, propelling us to walk in faith.
Ephesians 6:16 says, "Above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one." These fiery darts are meant to distract us from fixing our eyes on Jesus. When distractions come, we naturally get caught up in them. They might be a relationship problem, a job disappointment, a financial concern, or many other things, but their purpose - is to distract us from keeping our eyes on Jesus. They are meant to cause us to doubt, fear, or worry and disturb our faith. However, our faith, like a shield, can protect us from these distractions, reassuring us that we can overcome them and remain focused on Jesus, instilling us with confidence in him.
My heart has been heavy over the last few months. I’ve done some counseling with some amazing women. In WA State, along with others in the church I attended we were trained through “The Association of Certified Biblical Counselors.” The Scriptures are the focus of Biblical Counseling, with the help of The Spirit of God, to help women obey God and fix their eyes on Jesus. While the things the ladies are going through are not my struggles, because what they are going through are so similar, it becomes discouraging. These things have impacted my life in a way that, for the first time through counseling, I’ve questioned, “God, are you powerful enough to make these changes in people’s lives, or is it useless to offer this kind of hope?” This thinking could easily sway me to doubt God. It was easier to direct these ladies on how to fix their eyes on Jesus along with practical steps to walk it out. Yet, their stories allowed me to shift my eyes, becoming concerned that faithful believers seem rare. (Remember Elijah had the same concern and was disabused by God.) Worrying about something is like trying to catch the wind. It takes a lot of time, and the result is that the wind will never be in your hands. In fact, the time spent attempting to catch the wind is wasted, a time filled with creating a god in our image. It wasn’t in judging anyone that these doubts and worry darts flew my way. It has been a lack of Christian relationships, where I’ve been able to partner with to feed each other's souls. I’ve poured out, but it has not been reciprocated. Then, the passage about faith, rich in testimonies of great men and women of God, floods my memory. I remember the only way to move from my doubts and worry is to fine-tune my faith through God’s Word. Then trust Him to do the work in those I’ve been instructing to fix their eyes on Jesus.
The text I began with was written to Christians who were being distracted from their faith. They were facing horrendous persecution, and the temptations to turn away from Jesus were great. Worry would have caused them to deny him, but by faith they denied themselves. These men and women, our spiritual ancestors, had a depth of trust in their Savior, and they were compelled through that faith to fix their eyes on him. This faith was met by grace in their time of need. They were celebrated for standing firm when those fiery darts became literal lions, fire burning their bodies or losing their heads. Their faith and trust in Jesus, placed in the Scriptures, have become a source of desire to fine-tune my own faith. I don’t counsel because I look for accolades; I do it because I know the answers to life and godliness are in the pages of Scripture. I believe what I share with these ladies. I don’t share anything I would not encourage myself in the Lord with.
“Fix our eyes on Jesus” must be lived out practically. Fine-tuning our faith must be actualized. These are lofty concepts, but we will flounder like a fish out of water without action. What are the promises for us as we walk out of this command?
1. We put our emotions in perspective – As I showed earlier, nothing happens without God using it to form us into the image of Jesus. He makes us more like the character of Jesus.
We all know that when our emotions are involved, it is easy to react in an ungodly way. It is easy to 'sin in anger,' get caught up in bitterness and vengeance, and react with malicious words. This is easy when our focus gets distracted by our circumstances, which are called 'fiery darts.' In his timeless wisdom, the writer of Hebrews reminds his audience of the importance of focusing on Jesus. If we focus on 'the darts, ' we lose all perspective, but if we focus or 'fix our eyes on Jesus,' we can stand up under whatever comes to us. We know most of us will never be called to put our lives on the line for our faith. We are called to take a stand against unrighteousness and injustice; those are our greatest battles in 2024. The writer's reminder should guide and reassure us in our daily struggles. Even in the simplest irritations, they don’t belong to us. They should cause us to take our eyes off whoever was the impetus and put them on Jesus.
2. Why should we focus on Jesus? There is an eternal glory awaiting us. The passage says, "...Jesus, the author..." He pioneered the path of faith Christians should follow. The passage goes on to say, "...and perfecter of our faith." He also reached its end successfully. He kept His eyes on the "joy set before Him." That "joy" was obtaining the seat on the throne. He was able to endure "the cross" and "the shame" because He was able to look past the pain of his moment in time. This is an example for us to follow. If we look at the "darts," we lose focus on the eternal glory that will be given to us (Romans 8:18). When we keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, we are reminded that He is the ultimate mentor, understanding our pain and suffering, sympathizing with us, guiding us to the end, and giving us the grace we need to endure.
When we are in the madness of life, we have a choice - to focus on the "madness," the "darts," or we can "fix our eyes on Jesus.” We will choose one or the other. The more you know God's Word, the easier it is for you to focus on Jesus. If you choose the successful way through the maze of darts, you must also choose to know His Word so there is ammunition for your mind (2 Corinthians 10:1-6). Understand that you don't have to lose or fight alone. When you "fix your eyes on Jesus," you are also "taking the shield of faith," and "you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one" and see that your focus and faith become fine-tuned.
The ladies who recently trusted me to counsel them in their tumultuous circumstances don’t know that I am experiencing internal struggles at this very moment. That is ok, they don’t need to know that. I offer them counsel that I would not counsel myself. I remind them the Word of God commands them to “fix our eyes on Jesus,” and then I help them walk their circumstances out practically through the guidance of Scripture. I then look at myself and do the same. I’m reminded because “God opposes the proud and gives grace to the humble.” I am not smarter or better than them; I know where the spiritual medicine cabinet can be found, in Jesus. That is where we fix our eyes, ask for wisdom, and trust that he gives grace in times of need. Nothing is wasted, not one dart that is thrown at us. All of them become part of reminding us there is joy set before us as we wait for the glory that will be given to us. And because of that, we can know to “fix our eyes on Jesus” is to look expectantly to him fine-tuning our faith.
Comments