Psalm 119:96 Thursday

"To all perfection I see a limit; but your commands are boundless." Psalm 119:96

Fixing your eyes on Jesus begins by being in THE WORD. “The word became flesh and dwelt among us.” If I want to know Jesus, then I must be in THE WORD that became that flesh. No, I don’t want to just become a student -- "knowledge puffs up but love builds up." 1 Cor. 8:1 I want to become like Jesus who was the epitome of love, who came to earth to show us what love is. “For God so LOVED the world that he gave his one and only son....” John 3:16.

My Bibles tell a journey; all of them are written in and underlined. The words I’ve underlined, as well as the notes written about those underlined words, show a natural progression any student takes when she’s in THE WORD daily. At first I learned facts for fact's sake. But, ultimately those facts led to greater understanding. That progression is described in Psalm 119:98-100 – verses I’ve considered using for one of the weekly meditations.

98 Your commands make me wiser than my enemies, for they are ever with me.

99 I have more insight than all my teachers, for I meditate on your statutes.

100 I have more understanding than the elders [the aged], for I obey your precepts.

Notice the natural progression: if God’s commands are ever with me, e.g., I know them, then I will be wise; if I meditate on his statutes, I will have insight; if I obey his precepts, I will have understanding. To put it simply -- I know; I have wisdom. I meditate; I have insight. I obey; I have understanding. Proverbs 4:5, a verse I memorized in Leona Emberton’s class when I was in grade school, says: “Get wisdom, get understanding; do not forget my words or swerve from them.” This passage is about the supremacy of wisdom.

Fixing your eyes on Jesus means not watching the winds and the waves. When Peter got out of the boat to walk on the water, it was when he took his eyes off Jesus that he started to sink. I sink when I start watching people; they are the winds and the waves to me. Caring too much what people think, trying to please everybody all the time takes my eyes off Jesus. Martha did this when she told Jesus to tell Mary to come help her in the kitchen. He, himself, said to Mary, “you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” Luke 10:41 That one thing that is needed is being with Jesus, e.g., looking to Jesus, listening to Jesus, sitting at His feet, which I’m calling “fixing your eyes on.” What will fixing your eyes on Jesus do? Jesus tells us it will keep us from becoming “worried and upset about many things.”

When the disciples thought they were going to drown in the storm in Mark 4, and woke Jesus up, asking him if he cared, Jesus asked them “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” Obviously, Jesus’ question points out that fear is the opposite of faith, which is exactly what Satan wants—for Christians to live in fear. Fear stagnates; it freezes; it keeps the church from being the church. There is only one fear that is a healthy fear—to fear God and keep his commandments.

Listen to Hebrews 12:1-3—the one passage I’ve quoted more than any other in my entire lifetime. These are the verses I live by and call my mantra.

“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, 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. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”

This is the modern-day translation of this verse that I, myself, have written.

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great temptation to be like the world, let us stop doing everything that benefits us -- everything that anchors us to the rock -- and let us run ourselves to death at the pace the world dictates. Let us fix our eyes on each other, the distracters of our faith, who for the joy we try to have with each other, entices us, not considering who we are in Christ, to stand in the way of sinners. Consider the world that enjoys the approval of men, so that you will be heavy-laden and your heart will grow hard.”

The sin that so easily entangles is lack of faith. If faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God, then I must be in the Word to have faith. I am amazed when people want stronger faith, but they don’t know where it comes from or how to get it. Romans 10:17 tells us how. God requires of us to be faithful, not successful or perfect.

Fixing our eyes on Jesus teaches us to persevere. He never wavered. He never sinned. He kept going even when he died for the people who crucified him.

Fixing our eyes on Jesus teaches us to endure opposition from sinful men; it does not say change yourself to please them. It says endure the opposition. (And by-the-way, I think sinful men would be everybody.)

Fixing our eyes on Jesus will keep us from growing weary and losing heart. Fix your eyes on yourself and you will.

When I look at myself, which is where part one started, i.e., at my imperfection, I am never going to be satisfied. But when I fix my eyes on Jesus, I will see perfection. He already is what I can never be, and I am thankful. I will not grow weary and I will not lose heart. No wonder Satan wants me to be a perfectionist. Why would I ever need Jesus?

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