Welcome to our final Heart Notes post for May. It is not too late to download and print the May printable. Here is a link to it.
Photo courtesy of Death to the Stock Photo
I’ve heard from some folks who are sending each months printable via mail to friends or shut-ins. What a blessing it is to hear the printables are being used to encourage others.
Today we come to a set of verses that the Lord has been searing into my heart over the past several months. These are verses I committed to memory years ago, but God has given me a fresh perspective on one teeny part of the verses, and that is what I want to share with you today. First the verses from Hebrews 12:1-2 (NKJV):
Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and 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, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God
What a challenge to my heart! The whole thing encourages us to persevere and run the race well. News flash: Life is hard. Some days much harder than others, wouldn’t you say? So how do we deal with it all?
That’s what I want to talk about. Three words from these verses are key: “Looking unto Jesus” or as one translation puts it, “Fixing our eyes on Jesus”.
When I fix my eyes on Jesus, I cannot focus on my circumstances and the hard places. Fixing my eyes on Jesus forces me to raise my eyes above the horizon of my circumstances because He is over all circumstances. Fixing my eyes on Jesus offers me a role model for perseverance and faith. Fixing my eyes on Jesus keeps me out of the ditch of defeat.
Life can throw its best punch at me, but when I have my eyes fixed on Jesus, I am able to trust that Jesus has allowed the circumstance for my good, even though it may be painful. I can also be assured that He will be right beside me, offering His strength, His power, and His perseverance to my heart.
What punch is life throwing at you, friend? Are your eyes fixed on the circumstance, or on Jesus? Where you fix your gaze determines whether your precious heart is flooded with peace or despair.
