Turn your eyes upon Jesus

Pastor Carol Grace ♦ July 26, 2012 ♦ Leave a comment

Psalm 119: 57 You are my portion, Lord;
    I have promised to obey your words.
⁵⁸ I have sought your face with all my heart;
    be gracious to me according to your promise.
⁵⁹ I have considered my ways
    and have turned my steps to your statutes.
⁶⁰ I will hasten and not delay
    to obey your commands.

David says in this psalm that God is his portion.  In Hebrew, the word used for portion is chalaq, which means property, allotment, or even inheritance.  David knew that God was all he needed because he sought God’s face with his whole heart.  When you seek God’s face with your whole heart, not half-heartedly and not because it is expected of you, then you begin to assess your life.  Anything in your life that distracts you from the living God becomes worthless and is easily cast aside.

I love the chorus “Turn your eyes upon Jesus,” because in its simplicity it gives us all we need to seek holiness.  “Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace.”

Have you turned your eyes upon Jesus today?  Have you promised to obey God’s words?  It is never too late to begin a new relationship with Jesus, where He becomes your portion, and you receive grace that goes beyond justification for your sins.  The grace that comes from obedience and loving God with your whole heart is the grace that is sufficient for all our needs (2 Cor 12:9). 

Does this mean we have to earn grace?  Absolutely not.  The free grace of God brought us to salvation, and it is that same grace that enables us to live as disciples. But we must appropriate grace.  As regards salvation, we had to agree with God that Jesus is His son, that he died for our sins and as a result the unmerited favor of God justified us from our sins.

So how to we appropriate God’s grace for daily living?  1 Peter 5:5 (NKJV) Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for “GOD RESISTS THE PROUD, BUT GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE.” Humility makes way for God’s grace to become active in our lives. 

Turn your eyes upon Jesus and you will see that His grace is, indeed, sufficient for all of your needs.

PRAYER:  Father, we come before you today, humbled by your presence and grateful for all you do in our lives.  May we always look full in your wonderful face so that regardless of the circumstances in our lives, your grace will indeed be sufficient. Amen