Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus

Bible Passages:

Psalm 147:1-3 Praise the Lord! How good to sing praises to our God! How delightful and how fitting! …He counts the stars and calls them all by name. How great is our Lord! His power is absolute! His understanding is beyond comprehension!

Psalm 147:10-11 He takes no pleasure in the strength of a horse or in human might. No, the Lord’s delight is in those who fear him, those who put their hope in his unfailing love.

Eph 2:4-10 But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Jesus from the dead. It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved. For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ. So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of his grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us who are united with Christ.

God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this, it is a gift of God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. We are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

Devotional Thoughts

The Lord’s delight is in those who put their hope in his unfailing love! (Psalm 147:11) His unfailing love sent Jesus to the cross to die on our behalf. (Eph 2:4-5) It’s his unfailing love that not only sent Jesus to die for the punishment of our sins, but raised him to new life, giving us his very life (Eph 2:6), the power within us (Eph 1:19-20), to carry out the “good works” for which he created us to do (Eph 2:10).

God lavished his love on us so greatly, there is nothing that we can take credit for in ourselves! (Eph 2:8-9) We were completely bankrupt in our flesh! (Eph 2:1-2) And that is still the case with our flesh. Our flesh still has nothing to offer in regards to holiness. It’s only the Holy Spirit within us (Eph 1:13-14) that can and does what is pleasing to God. Because our flesh, our old, sinful, Adam nature, only follows after “the spirit that is now (still) at work in the sons of disobedience.(Eph 2:2)” Romans 8:5-8 tells us that the flesh cannot please God. And when we set our minds on the flesh, we make ourselves, once again, enemies of God.

But God, being rich in mercy, because of his great love with which he lavished on us, has made us alive IN CHRIST!

Praise the Lord! How good it is to sing praises to our God! How great is our Lord! His power is absolute! His understanding is beyond comprehension! (Ps 147:1-3)

“Turn your eyes upon Jesus. Look full in His wonderful face! And the things of this earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace!”

Prayer Points

1. Turn your eyes upon Jesus, and as you do, may the desires of your flesh become more and more dim.
2. Praise the Lord for His love and grace today!
3. That your gaze, and treasure of your heart (Matt 6:21) will become less of self / flesh and more of Christ.