Have you ever stared at an object? How long are you able to look uninterrupted at the same object? In my attempt I lasted for about ninety seconds with a few minor distractions. At first I focused on my focusing rather than the object, but as that settled I actually noticed some features of the object that I never noticed before, simply because I never fixed my eyes on it before. After ninety seconds however, I soon returned to the constant distractions of every day life and had to deliberately go back to the features of the object and see if there were any lessons to be learned and yes, there were at least three.
The author of Hebrews writes about the importance of fixing our eyes on Jesus. The original word or phrase actually means that we should not look anywhere else. So what happens when we deliberately look at the eyes of Jesus?
The eyes are often referred to as windows and windows provide a visual access to the activities on the other side, whether it be outside or inside. When we look at Jesus, two things happen. First we look out of our window, and take no notice of the activities on the inside and secondly, we look into His window and begin to see the activities happening there.
Whenever a message to be conveyed is of great importance, eye contact is crucial. I remember when my children were small, I would say “look at daddy” before I talked to them. The eyes impart a larger part of the message than the mouth. That in itself is food for thought.
When we deliberately (fix) look at Jesus we will see that which we would otherwise not see. Let me explain. The children of Israel were in desperate need of water and looked everywhere without success. You need to remember that a rock was probably the only place we would not look at while searching for water; the ground maybe or the plants; a good place to look for water would be the sky but not the rock! Moses looked at God and was shown the rock, told to smite it and out came water in abundance. Again, they are looking for food and find none. There are no berries on the trees and there are no veggies on the ground. There are no animals to hunt. Who would have thought to look to the sky for food? When Moses looked to God, he learns that there will be food first thing in the morning. Lo and behold the next day and for forty years afterward, food in the form of manna falls from the sky.
I am learning through this that when I fix my eyes on Jesus and not anywhere else I will see what He has for me on a day to day basis. As He showed the Israelites where food and water is and how to cross a large body of water without a ship or bridge and how to conquer a city, so He will show me what my next assignment is and where the next provision comes from, whether it be food, employment, a car or anything else.
Only when our eyes are fixed on Jesus, will we truly be satisfied.
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