Looking unto Jesus
What you look at and meditate upon is either a catalytic game-changer or the fatal flaw.
Hebrews 12:1-2 (AMP) says:
12 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of [a]witnesses [who by faith have testified to the truth of God’s absolute faithfulness], stripping off every unnecessary weight and the sin which so easily and cleverly entangles us, let us run with endurance and active persistence the race that is set before us, 2 [looking away from all that will distract us and] focusing our eyes on Jesus, who is the Author and Perfecter of faith [the first incentive for our belief and the One who brings our faith to maturity],
Godly Transforming Meditation
When we focus our eyes on Jesus, we meditate on all that for us. We meditate on what He did on the cross and who we really are. This is because as Jesus is, so are we in this world (1 John 4:17)!
Jesus is not only is an example of faith, but the Source of all faith, empowering us to walk in His faith!
It is Him, as the Word (not just any word), that births faith.
Romans 10:16-18 (TPT) says:
17 Faith, then, is birthed in a heart that responds to God’s anointed utterance of the Anointed One.
But this message is about more than faith, it is about being transformed by what you behold.
Transformation
2 Corinthians 3:18 (MSG) says:
Whenever, though, they turn to face God as Moses did, God removes the veil and there they are—face-to-face! They suddenly recognize that God is a living, personal presence, not a piece of chiseled stone. And when God is personally present, a living Spirit, that old, constricting legislation is recognized as obsolete. We’re free of it! All of us! Nothing between us and God, our faces shining with the brightness of his face. And so we are transfigured much like the Messiah, our lives gradually becoming brighter and more beautiful as God enters our lives and we become like him.
Oh, my goodness, let’s unpack this amazing scripture!
Nothing Between You and God!
Note the “veil” here is the Old Covenant, which veiled the true nature of God. With nothing between us and God, we shine like He does as we gaze at Him and we are literally transformed or transfigured into His image from glory to glory.
Literally, Christ in us the hope of glory (Colossians 1:27) is unveiled in us in our flavor from the inside out!
Abiding in God
Another nuance of beholding the Lord is abiding in Him as the vine.
John 15:5 (TPT) says:
5 “I am the sprouting vine and you’re my branches. As you live in union with me as your source, fruitfulness will stream from within you—but when you live separated from me you are powerless. 6 If a person is separated from me, he is discarded; such branches are gathered up and thrown into the fire to be burned.
Living in union with Christ is also called abiding or remaining in Him. What does this mean? It means practicing our awareness that we are one with Him. This is where we start to experience His presence, His love, His strength, His comfort, His personality and so on. We do this by choosing to turn our attention and affection towards Him. He’s not “out there,” He is in you. As you start to connect to Him, focus in on that connection. Are you feeling peace? Are you feeling hope? Are you getting words, pictures, thoughts?
Continue to place your attention on however you are connecting to Him, however small that is.
We Become like Jesus
As we behold Him, we manifest Him – His very essence, His nature, His fruit. You are being “conformed to His image” (Romans 8:29).
If you are having trouble with this, “Marked by Love” will help you as I coach you through the ‘Love Encounter Breaks’ to connect with Him and break of hindrances to do so. You can get your copy HERE!
I trust this has been helpful and encouraging to you. Let me know how beholding Him is going for you!
Love,
Catherine
