In this world of uncertainty, one thing remains sure; the faithfulness of Jesus. In Hebrews 12:2 we are told to look unto Jesus who is the author and finisher of our faith. Now, this concept of looking unto Jesus is not to merely look or take a glance. It is a call to fix our gaze on Him. 

The more you look, the more your faith gets perfected. Sometimes, I like to think that this is why Jesus appeared to the apostles every day for 40 days after His resurrection. The more they looked at Him, the more confident they were in the fact that their Lord had risen. (Acts 1:1-3) 

Taking this scripture based on the context, we see that the Apostle was talking about the believer’s call to endurance. He was encouraging Christians to run the race with endurance while keeping their eyes on Jesus. The people that have it the toughest are those who have to set the bar. They have no example to follow, and no role model to guide them. 

Kobe Bryant, the legendary basketballer, has cited Michael Jordan as his role model. I can imagine him wanting to give up once in a while but just taking a look at his role model and he is back at training. 

Glory to God that we have Jesus. We can run this race while looking at Jesus. When we feel weary or burned out, one glance at Jesus motivates us. If Jesus could endure the cross and all that came with it just so we could be saved, surely we can endure some trials so that we see Him in glory. Nevertheless, the strength to endure doesn’t come from within but from Jesus. Hence, we must look unto Him always. (Heb. 12:1-2)

The latter part of this scripture tells us that Jesus is seated at the right hand of God (Heb. 12:2). He is seated up high. If you are keeping your eyes focused on Jesus, your mind will be focused on things that are above. Many times, we get depressed or discouraged because we have spent too much time looking around us. The scripture tells us today to look up. 

Leave what is working or not working and just look at Jesus. Concern yourself with the things of God and see whether He won’t concern Himself with you. The devil has weakened the faith of many Christians because they kept their eyes down, they kept their eyes on themselves. But when you keep your eyes up at Jesus, your faith is strengthened. 

Our focus in this race is Jesus. Get distracted for a moment and you could fall. Take your eyes off even for a second and you could be enticed by the things of this world. Paul spoke of Demas who had left the work of God because he found pleasure in the things of this world (2 Tim. 4:10). If he kept his focus squarely on Jesus, he would not even know what the world was up to, let alone be enticed by it. When running a race, if you lose focus, it is easy to trip on even the smallest stone. 

We are not running this race looking at the cloud of witnesses, although they may inspire us and teach us lessons once in a while. We are not running this race looking at our past, God already called us out from it. We are not running looking inwards for strength or motivation, the arm of flesh will fail. We are running with our eyes solely fixed on Jesus who pioneered and continues to perfect our faith. Only the one who is strong in faith can endure till the end. 

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We cannot see Jesus with these physical eyes so how exactly can we look unto Him? There are three basic ways by which we can do this: Read, Reflect, and Remember. The Bible tells us Jesus is the Word (Jn 1:1,14). Hence, we look unto Jesus when we look at the word. 

Take your bible study seriously. Do not make it an occasional event. Take it upon yourself to renew your mind daily with the word. Behold His face by Beholding His word. Remember, the more you behold, the more you become (2 Cor. 3:18). We become just like Jesus as we continue to behold Him daily. Our faith is made perfect when we have learned to look at Him daily. It is easy to doubt God’s word when you are not conversant with it. 

If you do not reflect on the word, you will easily forget it. Think of practical ways of applying what you read about Jesus to your life. Joshua said in Joshua 1:8 that he will make it a lifestyle to meditate on God’s word day and night. No doubt, that practice strengthened His faith in God. 

Finally, remember what the word says. When you’re confronted with a situation, remember what Jesus would do. This way, you are constantly looking at Jesus as a mirror. You are seeing things through His lens. Running the race and finishing well becomes easier when you are doing it with the One who ran and finished and is now seated at the right hand of God.