Fix your eyes on Jesus
by Bishop Terry Kee
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Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endures the cross (Hebrews 12:2a).
The devotions for the coming week are taken from LCA International Mission’s 2021 ’40 Days – a Lenten Devotion and Prayer Guide’ and are written by mission partners around the world. LCA International Mission invites you to pray for God’s global mission and churches beyond our borders. You can download an electronic copy of the ’40 Days’ guide at the LCA International Mission website or request a printed copy by emailing lcaim@lca.org.au or phoning 08 8267 7330.
‘With Jesus I have hope …’
These words echoed in my mind as I sat there, looking at him and that little empty shack he called home. I recalled the words of Hebrews 12:2: ‘Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endures the cross …’
It was a truly unforgettable visit. We listened to Ta Mo as he told us his story of survival. As a young man in the 1970s, he avoided the killing fields and risked minefields and border guards, travelling on foot through the jungle into Thailand. He told his story of living in the jungle for years, before settling down with his wife. He told of losing three of his seven children, and of how he came to faith in Jesus Christ.
During our visit, we learned that each week he walked for more than an hour to get to church, seldom missing a worship service. A friend who was with me during that visit asked, ‘What is it about Jesus or the church that draws him to church week after week in spite of such inconvenience?’
Ta Mo told us, ‘I was poor and probably will continue to be poor. Without Jesus, I had no hope but with Jesus, I have hope’.
With his eyes on Jesus and hope in his heart, Ta Mo has endured his suffering. Looking forward to that eternal joy, he faithfully goes to church to worship God and be nourished by his word and sacraments.
May we fix our eyes on Jesus who for our salvation endured the cross so that we do not grow weary or lose heart.
O soul, are you weary and troubled?
No light in the darkness you see?
There’s light for a look at the Saviour
And life more abundant and free
Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim
In the light of His glory and grace
(Helen H. Lemmel, 1922)
Prayer: Pray for Lutheran Church in Singapore that they will turn their eyes upon Jesus and the light of his glory and grace. Pray for God’s love and healing for those going through difficult times that they can fix their eyes on Jesus through it all.
Bishop Terry Kee is from the Lutheran Church in Singapore.
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