LOOKING UNTO JESUS

“Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2). This is Christianity. This is why we do the things that we do. Because of Jesus. Because of His life, His death and His resurrection. Because of His love, mercy and forgiveness. Everything is because of Him. The religion of Christianity is a person. It is Jesus.

So how is it to be lived? It is to be lived by looking unto Jesus. That means looking at Jesus. That means thinking about Jesus. That means keeping Jesus at the center of your life. And there is a reason that we are to do it that way. We are to do it that way because that is what God the Father does. The Father thinks about Jesus. He glorifies Jesus. He has set His seal on Jesus (John 6:27). So from beginning to end, the Hebrew writer is telling us, it is about thinking about Jesus.

When I wake up in the morning, in order to live for God, I am to think about Jesus. I am to set my mind on Him. As I go about my day, I am to think about Jesus and do things to please Him. I am not to seek the glory of men but I am to seek the glory of God through Jesus Christ. Jesus came into this world to glorify His Father, and we are called to glorify Jesus. And when we do, we glorify the Father. It’s all tied to Christ.

Notice that the writer says that Jesus is the author and finisher of our faith. Where does faith come from? It is a gift of God. Yes we have to exercise our volition, our will, in order to have it, but we would not be able to choose Christ, to decide to put faith in Christ, if it were not for God allowing us to.

So faith originates with Christ. This tells us that when we have faith, we are not thinking about faith. We are thinking about the object of our faith, which is Jesus. That’s what faith does. Faith thinks about its object. And so we look at him from beginning to end, and we keep looking at him. Because He is not only the author of our faith, He is the finisher of our faith. The finish line in Christianity is Jesus. It’s going to be with Jesus forever. Until then, it is walking with Jesus. It is growing up in Jesus (Ephesians 4:15).

So live the Christian life. Think about Christ, depend upon Christ, glorify Christ, love Christ, obey Christ, do everything that you do because of Christ. And then you will be successful in every aspect of your life. Not the way the world views success, but the way God views it. You will live the Christian life when you are looking unto Jesus.

Holy Father, forgive us when we forget what Christianity is all about. Forgive us when we take our eyes off of you and  your Son. And we pray that we will immediately correct that when we do. Remind us what a relationship with you is. Please keep our minds focused on Jesus.

Dewayne Dunaway