"Fix"

My drive to work each day is always a good time for me to listen. Today the cool, refreshing breeze pouring in my open windows seemed to help me to be better prepared to listen than usual. If it is OK, I think I will share with you what I heard on this morning's drive...

The thought popped in my mind that I have what some would call a "Melancholy personality." Among other positive and negative traits about such a personality, is that I tend to be more naturally prone to discouragement. Once that thought about myself came to mind, I prayed, "God, why do I have to be so prone to discouragement? Why does it have to be such a fight on some days?" Then I was just quiet and drove on...no reply seemed to come and finding myself uncomfortable with the silence, I flipped on the radio. I did not pay any attention to the music, but continued to think about this personality defect. Suddenly, one phrase of one verse of the Bible came to mind...loud and clear it came..."Fix your eyes on Jesus."

I recalled the context of those words. They come from Hebrews 12. The book of Hebrews was written to a church on the verge of being overcome by discouragement. They were tired of the persecution and the never ending threat of being jailed, humiliated, beaten, having property confiscated and even being killed for their faith. They were to the point where they were seriously starting to wonder whether or not perseverance was possible, let alone worth it.

To this discouraged church the writer of Hebrews replies with a call to courageous faith. In Hebrews 12 (after having reminded them of the heroes of their faith in chapter 11) he calls them to "Let us fix our eyes on Jesus the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy Set before him endured the cross 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."

Why am I so prone to discouragement? May be it has less to do with my personality as it does with where I fix my eyes. There are a lot of things we can fix our eyes on that will give us reason to lose heart.

Fix your eyes on one's circumstances and often you will find reason to be discouraged. Fix your eyes on other people and they will let you down. Fix your eyes on yourself and...well...no good comes of that. Fix your eyes on your problems and you'll certainly be depressed. Fix your eyes on your past and you may very well become oppressed. Fix your eyes on anything else and eventually discouragement will step up and introduce itself.

But Hebrews 12 steps up and says, "Let us"...that's an invitation and an invitation requires a choice...will I or will I not? It's up to me and its up to you...will we "let"? Let what? "Fix our eyes"...to fix is to set, to stare, to allow all our focus to be...will I let my eyes be fixed on what? Jesus...no vague, ambiguous, Sunday school picture of Jesus, but will I fix my eyes on Jesus who is the author and perfecter of my faith? In what way is Jesus the author and perfecter? The next line fills in the details..."Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men..." Let us fix our yes on Jesus on the cross...he's bleeding, he's hurting, he's struggling for every breath, he's dying, he's dead, he in the tomb, he's fighting all of hell, he's moving, he's doing the impossible, he's breathing, he's living, he's rising, he's reigning...consider him!

"Fix your eyes on Jesus" is my breath prayer today. By God's grace, all day long, I will periodically breathe this prayer and do what it says. As I do, what should I expect? The promise of this verse is what I expect..."so that you will not grow weary and lose heart."

Any body feel weary? Any body losing heart? "Let us fix our eyes on Jesus..."