Stay Focused on Jesus

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Where is your focus when you are experiencing trials and pain? How is that working for you? This is post #2 in the Old Testament Men blog series, specially looking at the lives of Joseph, David, Elijah, and Nehemiah. They stayed faithful to God through long and difficult lives, so their examples teach us that we can do the same. We can persevere through the trials of life when we are empowered by our faith and sustained by our hope in an always faithful God. In the last post, we looked at what perseverance is and why we need it. In this post, we will answer the question, “How does staying focused on Jesus enable us to persevere?”

Listen to this post as a similar podcast from our Profiles of Perseverance Bible Study covering the lives of Joseph, David, Elijah, and Nehemiah.

Fixing Your Eyes on Jesus

The writer of Hebrews says this to us,

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. (Hebrews 12:1-3)

The imagery in verse 1 is that of running a race. It is not a sprint but more like a marathon. The setting is that of a courtroom in a great amphitheater with a dense cloud of witnesses. These are not spectators just watching. These are witnesses who themselves can testify to the value of putting your faith in God even when you can’t see the end. They lived that way. They ran that race. Their stories are throughout Hebrews chapter 11.

The race is the rough-and-tumble of real life. It is not a Hallmark movie where everything is scripted to end sweetly. The race is not a fantasy world where you have magical control over what happens. We are talking about real life here. Real life hurts, is confusing, and blindsides us. When that happens, we often cling to things that hinder us, that entangle us. We have to make the choice to throw off everything that does that—habits, thoughts, influencers, and sins that so easily entangle us. Then, we can run with perseverance the race marked out for us, while staying focused on Jesus.

Throw Off What Hinders You

Perseverance is…

In the last post, we learned that the definition of the English word “perseverance” is this: holding to a course of action, a belief, or a purpose without giving way.

Perseverance is sticking to that belief or purpose regardless of what happens. It is active staying power and tenacity to hold up under some long-term burden, not just getting stuck in traffic. Perseverance carries the idea of whole life experience. It enables a person to stand on her feet and move forward when facing a storm head on. That is how we are to live this life.

Perseverance produces maturity in us. It helps us to grow up as Christians into the women God wants for us to be who are like His Son Jesus.

Hindering responses

Think about your typical response to the things that hinder you, challenge you, and distress you. I have found in my life that groaning and screaming do not contribute to my maturity, although sometimes crying helps. I spent one Saturday afternoon crying and calling out to God for some understanding about a trial we were facing. Because He has been faithful in the past, I know through experience that I can trust Jesus even when I can’t see through the fog. I can’t see the end or the way out. I feel like I’m blind. But I know where I am going—I’m going with Jesus, fixing my eyes on Him, wherever He leads me.

Some of that fog is my own thinking that a life blessed by God as my Father should look different from that of the unbelieving world with fewer trials except those brought on by myself. Otherwise, I should have a controlled, pleasant life.

My earthly dad took care of my needs. Most of my trials were those of just plain old growing up. Getting teased by a mean fourth grade girl at camp. Not getting chosen for majorette. Not being asked for a date for almost a whole year—my first year as a blonde, even! But my daily needs for food, clothing, shelter, transportation, and love were well-provided by my parents. So, naturally, I expect my heavenly Father to do likewise. But that is unrealistic and dangerous thinking because it leads to continual disappointment. That is a hindrance.

Then, there are our own bad choices that bring trouble to us or the bad choices of others that are inflicted upon us. Either way, we get stuck with the results. Those can be hindrances. We must throw off those hindrances and desire the maturity that perseverance produces in us.

Perseverance Produces Maturity in You

God’s goal for us

God’s goal for us is to be mature and complete. Perseverance is His tool to help us reach that goal—to grow up. Someone said, “We must learn perseverance, or we will not learn much else.”

Didn’t I say most of my trials were those of just plain old growing up? Aren’t trials for the believer also experiences of plain old growing up? What if my daddy never let me go away from home and experience those challenges of personal decision-making? I couldn’t grow up. What if my heavenly Father never let me know any needs? I couldn’t grow up as a Christian.

Isn’t that true regarding human children? Growing up can be painful just in the facing of new things while getting used to the old. Consider teething. A baby has to go through teething to get some teeth to chew food. The same is true about learning to walk or ride a bike. What about adolescence? That is a long, painful, but necessary time of gaining independence. The goal of parenting is to raise someone who is a fully functioning, responsible adult. Right? That’s God’s goal too.

Resistance to maturity

But here in my western culture, we don’t necessarily desire perseverance. We get sidetracked with our comforts and our rights. Without perseverance, we become satisfied with immaturity. And such immaturity infiltrates the church too.

Some say we have an epidemic of immaturity in our society. Maybe you have noticed that? After decades of materialistic indulgence and overprotection, the children of the 80s and 90s are the most narcissistic generation ever known. Thankfully, many of us are not that way or have children who are not that way. But as a whole, the generation comprising young adults is called the “Me” generation. For them, life is all about “me.”

We have men and women refusing to grow up into maturity. In the home. In the workplace. And in the church. They have a huge hurdle to cross when it comes to following Jesus. Immaturity is what happens when we overprotect children from going through trials so they don’t develop perseverance and maturity.

Trials lead to maturity

James chapter 1 says this,

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds… (James 1:2)

The truth of the matter is that most people count it all joy when they escape trials, and they count it all grief when they have to endure them. That is the natural tendency, isn’t it? But God’s not going to overprotect His children.

Here is the key:

Human parents raise their children to be less dependent on them and more independent as they grow up. But God raises His children to be less independent of Him and more dependent on Him.

Whatever our God brings into our lives that makes us more dependent upon Him is good for us. If He didn’t bring those things into our lives, we wouldn’t know how to rely on Him for real strength.

Back to the verses in Hebrews chapter 12. The one focus in life that can get us through anything is “fixing our eyes on Jesus” (Hebrews 12:2). Staying focused on Jesus. Why is that?

Read the blog, “Wanting to See Jesus’ face” on bible.org.

Christianity is Christ

Christianity is Christ! It is not a lifestyle, rules of conduct, or an organization. We are called first and foremost to a relationship with a Person—Jesus Christ.

Think about the striking parallel between a baby’s dependent relationship with its mother and our life of dependency on Christ. Because of its dependent life, a baby in the womb could say, “For me, to live is Mom.” In the same way, we can and should say, “For me, to live is Christ.”¹

That vividly illustrates what it is like to keep the eyes of our hearts focused on Jesus, even during the tough times. When we stay focused on Jesus, we know we are not alone. We have a Savior who has run this race of life already. He knows how hard it is. He knows how to persevere through it. We can trust Him.

Hold onto Jesus

Be tenacious to hold onto Jesus. Keep standing and walking forward when the storms of life try to knock you down. Go wherever Jesus leads you to go. Persevere. Focus on what He is doing in the midst of what you are doing. Listen to His voice, drowning out all the others. Even when it hurts, when you are tired, when you want to give up, and when you want to settle for less. Believe it or not, persevering through the really tough times will lead to a joyful run through this race of life with Jesus.

As the Bible promises,

For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. (Romans 15:4 NASB)

We can have hope because we have God with us. So, remember our lane markers for the race.

Choose to persevere through every challenge.
Count on God’s promise to give you hope.
Let that hope sustain you through the rough-and-tumble of life.
Celebrate the joyful reward.

Are you ready for perseverance in your life-four action steps to get there-Perseverance blog series

In the next post, we begin looking at Joseph’s life and what we can learn about perseverance when you find yourself in a pit.

Let Jesus satisfy your heart with hope as you persevere through everyday life.

All of the above information is covered in the Profiles of Perseverance Bible Study covering the lives of Joseph, David, Elijah, and Nehemiah.

¹ Bob George, Growing in Grace, p. 78