Posted 4 years ago by Open Skies Praise
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
Hebrews 12:1 - 2
Today's new song, called “I Look To You”, is a declaration of our desire and need to be focused entirely on Jesus Christ. It is also a song of praise, drawing attention to His faithfulness, His unchanging nature, and His worthiness as the sole purpose and direction of our lives.
Hebrews calls us to look to Jesus, who is “the founder and perfecter of our faith”. Navigating this life according to His will means to look to Him every step of the way - no matter what else may call for our attention. The story of our faith begins with our acceptance of Jesus, and continues on until we meet Him face to face. Throughout this journey, God’s work of sanctification is molding and refining us to better reflect Him. Giving our attention to something other than Jesus means that we are being molded by other forces in our lives instead.
However, this process of sanctification does not only affect us as individuals. Instead, the work that God performs in us is also the work that God performs through us, affecting everyone and everything around us. You may have heard an illustration saying that a Christ-centered marriage should look like a triangle, with the husband and wife at two corners and Jesus at the third. Instead of focusing their attention on each other, the couple’s primary goal should be to seek a closer relationship with Jesus individually - as they are sanctified and become more like Christ, a side effect of their sanctification is that they are brought closer to each other as well, since that is God’s will for their marriage.
I believe that this illustration can be extended to the church as a whole. Every believer begins their walk of faith from a different place in life, and the differences between us are intended by God as a way to make the body of Christ more effective - we have all lived different lives, and have different callings, giftings, strengths, and weaknesses. The one thing that knits us all together as the body is that Christ is our head. I like to visualize this as the spokes on a wheel: each of us occupies a different spot on the outside of the wheel, but we are all looking to Jesus at the center. If we are truly focused on Christ and Christ alone, His process of sanctification will bring us closer to Him, and also closer to each other. Instead of focusing on the differences between us and attempting to reconcile them through our own strength, let us focus on the One who is bringing us together and allow His sanctification and purification to heal what would drive us apart. “Let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us”.
Enjoy the song!
Intro: | [G] / / / | [C] / / / | (x2) Verse 1: [Em] I am [G]looking unto [C]Jesus [Em] As I [G]seek to run this [D]race [Em] Keep my [G]vision firmly [C]centered [Em] On your [G]holiness and [D]grace Verse 2: [Em] When I [G]struggle in the [C]darkness [Em] When I [G]cannot find my [D]way [Em] You will [G]light the path [C]before me [Em] Turn the [G]darkest night to [D]day Chorus: [G] You are faithful, [C]God of all my days [Em] You are constant, [C]age to age the same [G] Everlasting, never changing [C] What You promised, You will do [Em] You are faithful, [D]God, I look to You [G] (Intro x1) Verse 3: [Em] You have [G]given me Your [C]freedom [Em] Opened [G]up my eyes to [D]see [Em] There is [G]only one sal[C]vation [Em] Jesus [G]Christ, my victo[D]ry (Chorus) Bridge: In every [C]season, every moment [Em]You are good and [D]true There is no [C]promise You have given You [Em]haven’t followed [D]through There is no [Am7]end to Your perfection I’ll keep [Em]running after [D]You [C] You are faithful, [D]God, I look to You [G] Verse 4: [Em] I am [G]looking unto [C]Jesus [Em] As the [G]author of this [D]faith [Em] He will [G]finish what He [C]started [Em] One day [G]I will see His [D]face (Chorus x2) Ending Bridge: In every [C]season, every moment [Em]You are good and [D]true There is no [C]promise You have given You [Em]haven’t followed [D]through There is no [Am7]end to Your perfection I’ll keep [Em]running after [D]You [C] You are faithful, [D]God, I look to You [Em] [G] [C] You are faithful, [D]God, I look to You [G]