Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus

Fix your eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith…
Hebrews 12:2

As I’ve been studying Hebrews, I’ve been thinking about and meditating on Jesus: His deity, His humanity, His suffering, His death and resurrection, His ascension, His second coming, His seat in Heaven. I’ve found myself singing different hymns that remind me to “Consider Jesus” as the author of Hebrews exhorts his readers. This is another perfect example.

Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus
Words by Helen Lemmel

O soul, are you weary and troubled?
No light in the darkness you see?
There’s a light for a look at the Savior,
And life more abundant and free!

"…I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly."
John 10:10

Think about the word abundant. What does it mean to you? I think of having more than enough, an excess, like a cup running over. That’s the kind of life we can have with Jesus! Fix your eyes on Him, and you will experience that abundant life.

Refrain
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.

And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14

Through death into life everlasting
He passed, and we follow Him there;
Over us sin no more hath dominion—
For more than conquerors we are!

Hebrews 9 tells us that Jesus, through His own blood, entered the more perfect tabernacle, heaven, to appear in the presence of God for us. He passed from death into life everlasting, and we will follow Him one day. Hebrews 2:14-15 tells us that Jesus, through His death, rendered powerless him who had the power of death (the devil), and freed those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives. As Paul reminds us in his letter to the Romans (Ch. 8), through all these things, we are “more than conquerors!” Christ has conquered death for us, and sin and death can’t rule over us anymore once we have come to faith in Jesus Christ.

His Word shall not fail you—He promised;
Believe Him, and all will be well:
Then go to a world that is dying,
His perfect salvation to tell!

For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, and returns not there, but waters the earth, and makes it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: So shall my word be that goes forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it. Isaiah 55:10-11

His Word won’t fail you! He says so in this passage – His word shall not return to Him void, it will accomplish what He pleases. We can claim His promises, because they are all true.

So what’s your response? The writer of this hymn urges us to take this good news to the dying world around us, as Jesus directed.

"Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.”
Mark 16:15

Lord, help me to keep my eyes fixed on Jesus, that others will see Him through me.