Looking Unto Jesus

But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord. -2 Corinthians 3:18

The only way we will be changed to be like Jesus is by His Spirit... by beholding His face. As we see Him, we cannot help but fall before Him in utter dependence and trust, a deep awareness that there is nothing that we can do in ourselves to please Him. The things of earth grow strangely dim when our eyes are turned on Jesus--His sufficiency, valor, strength, audacity, kindness, love... His character. Oh, how He longs to have His way in us so He can replace all of sin and self with His very near presence! 

Several years ago, my brother brought home a little pamphlet titled "Looking Unto Jesus." The ideas presented have gripped me ever since, to turn my gaze only upon Jesus and let Him do His work in me. I recently read over it again and was afresh deeply challenged that He alone can do the work in me. Below are a few excerpts from the pamphlet as well as a link to the entire thing, which I highly recommend (it is not long... about eight pages in a Word document). May God bless your hearts with faith as you read. 

For full text: Looking Unto Jesus by Theodore Monod

An excerpt that explains a few things we are not to be looking at if our eyes are fixed on Him:

LOOKING UNTO JESUS AND NOT AT OURSELVES, our thoughts, our reasonings, our imaginings, our inclinations, our wishes, our plans;

UNTO JESUS AND NOT AT SATAN, though he seek to terrify us by his fury, or to entice us by his flatteries.

UNTO JESUS AND NOT AT OUR STRENGTH. Our strength is good only to glorify ourselves; to glorify God one must have the strength of God.

UNTO JESUS AND NOT AT OUR WEAKNESS. By lamenting our weakness have we ever become more strong? Let us look to Jesus, and His strength will communicate itself to our hearts, His praise will break forth from our lips.

UNTO JESUS AND NOT AT OUR SINS, neither at the source from which they come (Matt. 15:19) nor the chastisement which they deserve. Let us look at ourselves, only to recognize how much need we have of looking to Him.

UNTO JESUS AND NOT AT OUR DOUBTS. The more we look at them the larger they appear, until they can swallow up all our faith, our strength, and our joy. But if we look away from them to our Lord Jesus, Who is the Truth (John 14:6), the doubts will scatter in the light of His presence like clouds before the sun.

UNTO JESUS AND NOT AT WHAT WE ARE DOING FOR HIM. Too much occupied with our work, we can forget our Master - it is possible to have the hands full and the heart empty. When occupied with our Master, we cannot forget our work; if the heart is filled with His love, how can the hands fail to be active in His service?

UNTO JESUS AND NOT TO THE APPARENT SUCCESS OF OUR EFFORTS. The apparent success is not the measure of the real success; and besides, God has not told us to succeed, but to work; it is of our work that He requires an account, and not of our success - why then concern ourselves with it? It is for us to scatter the seed, for God to gather the fruit; if not today, then it will be tomorrow; if He does not employ us to gather it, then He will employ others.

UNTO JESUS AND NOT AT OUR DEFEATS OR VICTORIES. If we look at our defeats we shall be cast down; if we look at our victories we shall be puffed up. And neither will help us to fight the good fight of faith (1Tim. 6:12). Like all our blessings, the victory, with the faith which wins it, it the gift of God through our Lord Jesus Christ (1Cor. 15:57), and to Him is all the glory.