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. Hebrews 12:2
It is said that in order to plow in a straight line you have to look ahead. If you focus on a post or building and head for it, you will make a straight furrow. If you look back to see where you have been, you are bound to swerve, and there will be a bend in the row.
We, as Christians, are called on to keep our eyes focused on the everlasting victory that Jesus won for us at Calvary. This is not an easy task. We are tempted to look back. Maybe we want to admire all we have done or see how bad our mistakes have been. Both are futile activities. We cannot change or undo the mistakes we have made. The Bible says that the Lord has forgotten them. "As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us" (Psalm 103:12). If God will "remember [our] sins no more" (Hebrews 8:12), we should put them behind us and focus on the future.
Nor can we focus on our future goal if we are looking back to see our past accomplishments. To move forward in a straight line, we must keep our eyes focused on the landmarks of eternal life, which Jesus has won for us through the cross.
PRAYER: We ask You, Lord, to help us keep our focus on You; in Your name, Jesus, and for Your sake. Amen.
(Devotions from "The Abundant Life" copyright 1998, CPH. All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be printed, reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior written permission of Concordia Publishing House. Permission is granted for one-time e-mailing of this link to a friend. For information on other devotional material, please contact CPH at 800-325-3040 or visit CPH at www.cph.org.)
Today's Bible Readings: Jeremiah 41-42 Hebrews 11:1-19
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