By Guest Contributor: Jerry Hardy
As all of you know, I am not the smartest one in the room (unless I am alone) or the sharpest knife in the drawer. Usually, the Lord has to hit me a couple of times to get my attention. Well, He did this morning.
I was reading in A. W. Tozer’s book, The Pursuit of God, the chapter titled, The Gaze of the Soul. Here are some of the highlights:
- “...Faith is the gaze of a soul upon a saving God.”
- “They looked unto Him, and were lightened: and their faces were not ashamed.” Psalm 34:5
- “Unto thee lift I up mine eyes….” Psalm 123:1
- “Looking up to heaven, He blessed, and brake, and gave the bread to His disciples.” Matthew 14:19
- “looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith.” Hebrews 12:2
- “Faith is a re-directing of our sight, a getting out of the focus of our own vision and getting God into focus.”
Then I read the January 22nd devotional from My Utmost for His Highest. It is titled “Am I Looking To God?” I have included it below.
When things are good, I can take my focus off the Lord and when things are bad, I can get discouraged and do the same thing. I don’t know what is happening in your life, but I would encourage you to Keep Looking Up!
Am I Looking To God?
Look to Me, and be saved… Isaiah 45:22
Do we expect God to come to us with His blessings and save us? He says, “Look to Me, and be saved….” The greatest difficulty spiritually is to concentrate on God, and His blessings are what make it so difficult. Troubles almost always make us look to God, but His blessings tend to divert our attention elsewhere. The basic lesson of the Sermon on the Mount is to narrow all your interests until your mind, heart, and body are focused on Jesus Christ. “Look to Me….”
Many of us have a mental picture of what a Christian should be, and looking at this image in other Christians’ lives becomes a hindrance to our focusing on God. This is not salvation— it is not simple enough. He says, in effect, “Look to Me and you are saved,” not “You will be saved someday.” We will find what we are looking for if we will concentrate on Him. We get distracted from God and irritable with Him while He continues to say to us, “Look to Me, and be saved….” Our difficulties, our trials, and our worries about tomorrow all vanish when we look to God.
Wake yourself up and look to God. Build your hope on Him. No matter how many things seem to be pressing in on you, be determined to push them aside and look to Him. “Look to Me….” Salvation is yours the moment you look.
From My Utmost for His Highest Updated Edition
Have a great day and KLU! (Keep Looking Up!)
Jerry Hardy
Jerry Hardy served as Executive VP of A3 from 1973-91 and remains a strong friend, supporter and advocate of the ministry. Here's how he can be reached...
Hardy Insurance & Risk Management
visit: www.hardyirm.com
