Looking Unto Jesus, Looking, Looking, Looking

I kind of talked about this a little bit last post, but oh how I need to meditate on this more and more. During that terrible chastening that I had last year, while I struggled with my own sins after being offended by other's sins, I came out with Hebrews chapter 12 as the lesson God was teaching me. "Looking unto Jesus" was what I was hearing in my head while I was overwhelmed first by the offense I felt was done against me, then during the overwhelming feelings of guilt and condemnation that I had when God showed me how wretchedly prideful I was. Both of those things, dwelling on the sins of others or the sins of myself is horribly wrong, not at all what the Lord wants me to do.

So again this week I came into a situation where I felt offended, really offended, really annoyed. You know what happens in a wretched heart like mine when I am sinned against sometimes, I then sin too. Sin beggetting sin, that is the way it goes so often in life. I hate my own sin, I can't stand how ugly I feel inside as I struggle over what someone has done or said to me.

And as I struggled over that, I got on my knees (about 30 minutes after I should have) and confessed and asked God to help me. And you know what was spoken so clearly to my heart, "Look to Jesus"! Look to Jesus!!! Such a beautifully simple answer, sometimes so hard to do. I long to remember more and more to look to Him so as I don't look to the left or to the right, to the offenses I take, to the offenses I have done, to the good I have done, to the whatever, only to Jesus, that is the only place I can look if I want to honor Him and walk in His likeness.

How could I stew and rehearse an offense if I am looking to Him? How can I wallow in self-pity and guilt when I am looking to Him? When I am looking to Him, the author, the Finisher of my faith, I can do what it takes to honor Him, to please Him. I just remember what He did for me, what He went through...looking to Jesus, it is the cure for my nasty self, the sin that so easily besets me. Oh, HALLELUJAH, WHAT A SAVIOR!!!! JESUS, WHAT A FRIEND FOR SINNERS!

Here is a wonderful work from Spurgeon, this stirs and convicts and excites my soul!!!!!:

"Looking unto Jesus."
Hebrews 12:2

It is ever the Holy Spirit's work to turn our eyes away from self to Jesus; but Satan's work is just the opposite of this, for he is constantly trying to make us regard ourselves instead of Christ. He insinuates, "Your sins are too great for pardon; you have no faith; you do not repent enough; you will never be able to continue to the end; you have not the joy of his children; you have such a wavering hold of Jesus." All these are thoughts about self, and we shall never find comfort or assurance by looking within. But the Holy Spirit turns our eyes entirely away from self: he tells us that we are nothing, but that "Christ is all in all." Remember, therefore, it is not thy hold of Christ that saves thee-it is Christ; it is not thy joy in Christ that saves thee-it is Christ; it is not even faith in Christ, though that be the instrument-it is Christ's blood and merits; therefore, look not so much to thy hand with which thou art grasping Christ, as to Christ; look not to thy hope, but to Jesus, the source of thy hope; look not to thy faith, but to Jesus, the author and finisher of thy faith. We shall never find happiness by looking at our prayers, our doings, or our feelings; it is what Jesus is, not what we are, that gives rest to the soul. If we would at once overcome Satan and have peace with God, it must be by "looking unto Jesus." Keep thine eye simply on him; let his death, his sufferings, his merits, his glories, his intercession, be fresh upon thy mind; when thou wakest in the morning look to him; when thou liest down at night look to him. Oh! let not thy hopes or fears come between thee and Jesus; follow hard after him, and he will never fail thee.