FIX YOUR GAZE UPWARD
BREAD
1 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. 2 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. 3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. Hebrews 12:1-3 (NIV)
12 This is what the wicked are like– always carefree, they increase in wealth. 13 Surely in vain have I kept my heart pure; in vain have I washed my hands in innocence. 14 All day long I have been plagued; I have been punished every morning. 15 If I had said, “I will speak thus,” I would have betrayed your children. 16 When I tried to understand all this, it was oppressive to me 17 till I entered the sanctuary of God; then I understood their final destiny. 18 Surely you place them on slippery ground; you cast them down to ruin. 19 How suddenly are they destroyed, completely swept away by terrors! 20 As a dream when one awakes, so when you arise, O Lord, you will despise them as fantasies. 21 When my heart was grieved and my spirit embittered, 22 I was senseless and ignorant; I was a brute beast before you. 23 Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand. 24 You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory. 25 Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. 26 My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. Psalm 73:12-26 (NIV)
1 I lift up my eyes to you, to you whose throne is in heaven. 2 As the eyes of slaves look to the hand of their master, as the eyes of a maid look to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to the LORD our God, till he shows us his mercy. Psalm 123:1-2 (NIV)
1 I lift up my eyes to the hills– where does my help come from? 2 My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth. 3 He will not let your foot slip– he who watches over you will not slumber; 4 indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. 5 The LORD watches over you– the LORD is your shade at your right hand; 6 the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. 7 The LORD will keep you from all harm– he will watch over your life; 8 the LORD will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore. Psalm 121:1-8 (NIV)
14 The LORD confides in those who fear him; he makes his covenant known to them. 15 My eyes are ever on the LORD, for only he will release my feet from the snare. Psalm 25:14-15 (NIV)
18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. 2 Corinthians 4:18 (NIV)
8 But my eyes are fixed on you, O Sovereign LORD; in you I take refuge–do not give me over to death. Psalm 141:8 (NIV)
BUTTER
“Acknowledge your enemy, but keep your eyes on the Lord.” Robert J. Morgan
“Oh that I may be roused out of my slumber, and be watchful and ready against the coming of my Bridegroom…Even the wise virgins fell asleep. Let this be a warning to me, O Lord. Set thou a guard before my eyes, ears, and other faculties, lest the world again should enter through these avenues of the heart; if the spark be not speedily extinguished, it will soon break out into a flame: thus sin is of a progressive nature, and its venom spreads very quickly and very wide, unless it be stopped and opposed in time. Watch, therefore, over this unsteady heart of mine, O Thou Keeper of Israel; that as soon as it begins to wander from Thee, I may be alarmed to flee from sin as from a serpent. Give me grace to look upon every hour as my last; so that being ever wisely upon my guard I may meet Thee with joy when my time is run out, whenever it shall please Thee to call me hence.” K. H. Von Bogatzky
“Praise elevates our eyes off our circumstances and places them on to Him Who is able to keep us from falling. Praise often precedes the movement of God’s hand for His children because it demonstrates our love and dependence upon Him having full knowledge it is He Who is actually in control of all things – not us.” BHY
“Let us see that we keep God before our eyes; that we walk in His ways and seek to please and glorify Him in everything, great and small. Depend upon it, God’s work, done in God’s way, will never lack God’s supplies.” Hudson Taylor
“One thing that Jesus brings to our attention is the importance of living in this world with our eyes fixed upon what is above. A follower of the Lord experiences eternal realities while he lives in a temporal world–he sees things that others do not see; he hears things that others do not hear; he knows things that others do not know. A follower of the Lord walks with his feet upon the ground, while his eyes are fixed upon heaven. He knows that all the things around him are passing away, and that all that is before him will last forever.” Roy Lessin
“The times when you don’t feel like praising God are precisely the moments when it’s most essential to do so. The next time you’re discouraged, start praising God. When you feel defeated or unable to break loose from bad habits, start praising God. When your most treasured relationships seem to be falling apart, start praising God. Praise is about what God desires us to do, not about the power of your circumstances. When you get your eyes off your immediate problem and put your focus on God, you are redirecting yourself toward what God will do for you, not what man has done to you. At that point, God can work in your life to produce real growth.” Michael Youssef
“I have not given you the spirit of fear but of a sound mind. Therefore today I call you Fearless, the way I called Gideon a valiant warrior when he was afraid to fight. I am the same God who gave Gideon the strength to win his battle with the enemy, and I am your God. The only time something will overtake your heart is if you take your eyes off Me. I don’t want you bound up in terror. As long as you are walking in My power and Truth, you have nothing to be afraid of, and no matter what it looks like now, Victory will always be yours. So fear not, my beloved; I will never leave your side–day and night I am fighting for you. Love, Your King who removes all fear.” Sheri Rose Shepherd
“They who desire Me, I will surely reward: I will not fail. I will fill every longing heart and satisfy every craving soul. My grace will pour out as a tumbling waterfall.” Frances J. Roberts
“This God is no stranger to the hard road. This God walked the hardest road for us. And whatever road we’re walking on now—then somehow, someway—that road is good. There’s not just breadcrumbs of good for you on it; the road itself is good… In this hard, He is doing something holy. He is doing something transformative. Even as our hearts rage. Even as they break….This upside down road, where His power is made perfect in weakness (2 Corinthians 12), where troubles are an opportunity for great joy (James 1:2) because troubles usher us into His presence, and in His presence, there is fullness of joy. (Psalms 16:11). This is Who. A God who does not forsake. A God who is not cruel. A God who is not stingy with grace. Not a sparrow falls outside of His care. When we find ourselves walking through a dry and weary land where there is no water, shaking our fists at why…Fix the eyes on this God. Remember and rest in Who. Maybe comfort isn’t found so much when we ask, ‘Why is this all unfolding here and now?’ — Maybe comfort is found more when we rest in Who is enfolding us all here and now.” Katie Ganshert
“The Scripture tells us in Ecclesiastes, ‘For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven.’ And for that time, God has purposes. No matter what season you are in, God wants you to offer the sacrifices of praise and rejoice in that season. I know, I know…easier said than done. But if you shift your focus OFF of your circumstances, and onto God instead, you’ll find praising Him is much easier. You can’t help but celebrate who HE is. If we can understand and recognize the season we are in, and make the most of our time within that season, we will pursue with purpose the plan that God has for us. Don’t give up. Keep your eyes on His goodness. Remember who you are. Remember WHOSE you are. He’ll never, ever lead you astray.” Cathe Laurie
“For My way is hidden from the rebellious, and from the disobedient, and from those who seek to walk in their own wisdom. But look to Me, and I will be your beacon in the night, and you will not stumble over the hidden things. You will walk in a way of victory though turmoil is on either hand, even as Israel marched through the Red Sea on a path My hand hewed out or them. Yes, it shall be a path of deliverance, and My Spirit shall go with you, and you shall carry the glad tidings of deliverance to people that sit in darkness and captivity…You will glorify Me; for My plan for you excels all other ways, and in the center of My will is a perpetual fountain of glory.” Frances J. Roberts
“The antidote for distraction is focus, the choice to pay attention and live aware. The problem is that we live in a world that seeks to convince us that we can pay attention to multiple things — giving them fractions of our gaze — and still stay the course, keep on track, and make it to our destination. But that’s simply not true. I’m guilty of being consumed with the right now, the immediate. The problem is that once we’ve gone too far for too long without living attentively, we become less shocked by and less sensitive to the changes that we have allowed. The distraction desensitizes us. The ‘every once in a while’ becomes our norm. We no longer have an inner argument each time we move farther away living God’s best. And all drifts matter — even the small ones….In my real everyday life I’m guilty of putting my abundant life at risk – not choosing God’s best by living a life focused on His guidance, direction, and instruction. And life is too precious too waste. If you’ve been living distracted, deceived, or desensitized, the good news is, you are still alive today to choose.” Chrystal Evans Hurst
“Look to Jesus. Only He can satisfy the desires of your heart. He alone brings peace and contentment to your life.” Michael Youssef
HEART SAVOR
• Our gaze is to be upward – fixing our eyes on the Author and Perfecter of our faith.
• He is our Shepherd and guides us in His pleasing and perfect will. No good thing does He withhold from those whose walk is blameless.
• His eye is fixed on you – so should yours be on Him.
Beth Yoe's Sharing Bread 