Fixing My Gaze and Praying for Dove's Eyes

My dad calls it being ruined. When the Lord takes you on in your relationship with Him, and then nothing less satisfies. I hit a point this year where for the first time, I could say with my whole heart meaning it, that He is all I need and there is nothing else. Oh the beauty of walking with Jesus all day long and enjoying His presence. And how easily and quickly I let the enemy take that away. Now, the fight to get back to that. How undeserving I am of the precious gifts that I throw away like pearls to pigs.

Naturally, I take on the view of, "What can I do to get back to that place? What do I need to do?" Ridiculously, as if I don't know Jesus and His grace at all, I go on acting like I am able to accomplish this relationship by my works and deeds. If I pray just the right words, If I do just the right things....I disgust myself with my confidence in my own flesh. How prideful. Yuck.

I read this passage several times this last week...

Colossians 2:21-23"Do not touch, do not taste, do not handle." Which all concern things which perish with the using- according to the commandments and doctrines of men? These things have the appearance of wisdom in self-imposed religion, false humility, neglect of the body, but are of no value against the indulgence of the flesh."

So these 'rules' I come up with to try harder to be better and do better are self-imposed religion, false humility, and have no value when it comes to fighting my flesh. Awesome. It is pride. It is like the pharisees. When I think that I am able to get close to God, or build my own character by marking out little rules and regulations for myself, I am like the religious pharisees. go me.

So now what? Praise God it didn't end there. It continues on in the next two verses (Col 3:1-2) to say, "If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things of the earth."

Of course. I so often have it backwards. I try really hard to do better and be better, thinking somehow that this will get me closer to the Lord, please Him more, be more like Him. That is the law. I read a quote in a devotional that talked about how when we need forgiveness from sin, we take it to Jesus and trust Him for forgiveness and to have it washed away. But when it comes to fighting sin, we think that we can obtain it by going to the law instead of Jesus. How backwards is that? It is by being near Jesus, by having sweet fellowship with the Spirit, abiding in His love and Word, that causes the actions that please Him as a natural result. To know Him is to love Him. To know Him, you must give time to Him.

What do I need to do instead? Set my mind on things above. Fix my eyes on Christ Himself. And isn't that so true? Don't I know that already? How often have I caught a glimpse of Him and His heart, and experienced the way everything else fades away in comparison. Funny how Paul refers to the Church as doves. Did you know doves can only focus on one thing at a time. Everything else is blurry except for the thing they are focusing on.

Matthew 6:22 "The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, then your whole body will be full of light."

When he was walking on water, Peter only began to sink when he took his eyes off Jesus. If our eye is good, our whole body will be full of light. Preciousness. Where am I fixing my gaze? If I am worried about finals, or countless other more important things, clearly my gaze is off. If I have a bad attitude or find myself easily annoyed at people, my gaze is off. Looking at Him puts things in perspective. Setting our mind on Him puts things into perspective. Everything else will fade away and fall into place.

Praise the Lord that He is faithful when I am not. I am done living life for Christ, I want to live life because of Christ. Today, I fix my eyes on Christ and pray for dove's eyes and trust Him to do the rest. Jesus help me.