journey onWord with us

In downtown Miami recently, a driver remained stopped in front of me when the light turned green. I wanted to scream, “Get off your cell phone!” Thankfully, I refrained.  In truth, I (and maybe you) have been guilty of the same offense. Momentary distractions on the highway can create a lifetime of regret. In any endeavor (not just driving), the loss of focus will eventually take its toll. In my recent articles,  we have looked at Hebrews 12:1 , viewing it in the context of a race. Running the race (our journey of following Jesus) well demands focus … and there are distractions at every turn. If we are to run the race marked out for us with perseverance, how do we maintain the right focus?  I believe the key is in the opening words of the very next verse.

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. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus…
Hebrews 12:1-2(a)

Fix our eyes on Jesus … Isn’t that what all Christians know to do? After all, it makes logical sense if we just focus on Him, things will work out right. Right? Many years ago people wore bracelets with just the letters WWJD (What Would Jesus Do), or read a book titled the same which taught the principle of asking ourselves what Jesus would do amid the same circumstance. Easy answers for my (and your) noise-filled life never quite seem to work. You may even feel blessed singing the old hymn, “Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus,” as much as I do, but having a great feeling in worship as you sing that beloved hymn doesn’t automatically translate to action and genuine focus. It takes more than feelings, bracelets and books (and I do think the bracelets and books can help) to live a life focused on Jesus.

Jesus ran the race that the Father marked out for Him to the fullest. His earthly race was marked with difficultly and hardship, but was also filled with purpose and discipline. If we are to succeed in living out our God-authored purpose, fixing our eyes on Jesus is paramount. Fleshing this out takes a willingness to surrender our will to His. That’s a day-by-day, minute-by-minute, thought-by-thought surrender! May I gently (but also boldly) encourage you to consider going all in with laser-like focus on the Son of the Living God?

In Mark Batterson’s excellent book, ALL IN, he shares a quote that is worth pondering for all serious believers. “Most people in most churches think they are following Jesus, but I’m not so sure. They may think they are following Jesus, but the reality is this: they have invited Jesus to follow them.” A simple way to determine if you and I struggle with inviting Jesus to follow us is to ask ourselves a simple question. Is Jesus the highest priority in my life, or am I just fitting my life with Him into an already crowded life?

If your life has the distractedness of my cell phone driver friend maybe it’s time to honestly consider refocusing. Can there be any better spiritual vision that fixing our eyes on Jesus? When we are effective in looking at all of life through our view of Him, distractedness becomes focus. And the world is changed.

Christ-follower, what is the best way to live? Fix your eyes on Jesus, and simply trust the results to Him!