April 20

Moments with God, April 20

Hebrews 12:1-2 (NIV) 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 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

A few days ago, we watched the NCAA Gymnastics Championship. Oklahoma University was one of four schools competing for the title. We had not watched such a competition in a long time, so I was somewhat surprised when they announced that four gymnasts would be competing at the same time on different devices. With the screen split into four views, I had a difficult time keeping track of who was doing what. Each gymnast had a crowd rooting for her, so the place was a cacophony of noise. Each routine required such concentration that I wondered how each could perform her routine with perfection.

As I watched, I noticed each person focused only on the task before her. The noise and cheering around her did not matter because her focus was fixed. As they continued to earn high marks, I smiled when I thought, “That is how we are to be.” There was a time when I asked the Lord to shut the mouth of the enemy when he would speak lies to me, try to discourage me, or try to cause me to doubt. The Lord told me that He would not. Instead, He told me His sheep know His voice; therefore, I was to focus on His voice and ignore the noise around me. In our hectic world, we face many voices that strive to distract us from following Jesus. There will always be something to lure us away. Just as Jesus fixed His eyes on the Father and the joy set before Him, we are to do the same. We are to fix our eyes, hearts, and minds on our risen Lord so all else will fade away. When we do, the path set for us becomes clear and straight and easy to follow.