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b'Hebrews 12:1-2 holds some of my favorite words in the Bible: \\u201cLet us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.\\u201d\\n\\n\\n\\nI\\u2019ve always loved this idea of fixing our eyes on Jesus. But in our everyday lives, we probably don\\u2019t think too much about where we direct our focus. Maybe we should start paying more attention. Because where we fix our eyes changes our entire perspective.\\n\\n\\n\\nWhen we go through our lives without thinking about where we\\u2019re setting our sights, we\\u2019ll spend most of our time looking at what\\u2019s right in front of us. We might orient ourselves around our work, our commitments, our adventures, our friends, our families\\u2026and those aren\\u2019t bad things\\u2014in fact, they\\u2019re good gifts from God. But they can\\u2019t ultimately give our lives purpose or fulfillment. All created things will eventually let us down.\\n\\n\\n\\nWhat changes when we fix our eyes intentionally on Jesus? Hebrews 12:2-3 goes on to say, \\u201cFor the joy set before him he [Jesus] 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.\\u201d\\n\\n\\n\\nWhen we fix our eyes on Jesus, we remember how He was willing to die on the cross for us. And when we remember the sacrifice He made and all He endured, we\\u2019ll be less likely to lose heart in our day-to-day lives. Because Jesus knew that His\\nsuffering, even His death, was not the end. He knew the joy that was coming. After three days in a tomb, Jesus rose from the grave, and now everyone who puts their trust in Him gets to live with Him forever! As we wait for Jesus to return and make\\nall things new, we can persevere because of the life God has given us in Jesus\\u2014and because of the joy set before us as His children.\\n\\n\\n\\nSo, let\\u2019s be intentional about where we look. Let\\u2019s watch how God is working. And when it gets hard to keep going, let us look to Jesus and say: \\u201cOur eyes are on you.\\u201d \\u2022 Becca Wierwille\\n\\n\\n\\n\\u2022 In your everyday life, what are your eyes naturally drawn to?\\n\\n\\n\\n\\u2022 What do you think it means to fix our eyes on Jesus? How could this help us persevere?\\n\\n\\n\\n\\u2022 Consider taking a moment to talk to Jesus now, thanking Him for enduring the cross for you and telling Him about the things in your life that matter to you, knowing they matter to Him too.\\n\\n\\n\\nAnd let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. Hebrews 12:1b-2a (NIV)\\n\\n\\n\\nREAD: PSALM 119:25-40; EPHESIANS 1:18-23; HEBREWS 12:1-3'