Keeping Your Eyes on Jesus
His Sayings and His Focus, and the weekly recap
As I was reflecting on what to start this newsletter with this week, I really felt like the Lord wanted to communicate something simple but strong:
It is so important to keep your eyes on Jesus.
There are so many things that can distract you in life.
There are things that can cause you to worry.
Things that can cause you to fear.
Things that can cause you to stress out or lose hope.
There is news every single day about something chaotic happening in the world.
And every one of those things can pull your attention away from Him.
They can make you angry.
They can make you anxious.
They can make you feel unstable.
But I sense the Lord gently reminding us:
Keep your eyes on Jesus.
Jesus Only Did What He Saw the Father Doing
Jesus said in John 5:19 (KJV):
“The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do…”
That statement is powerful.
Jesus only did what He saw the Father doing.
He did not move just because people pressured Him.
He did not react out of fear.
He did not chase every situation around Him.
He watched the Father.
And then He acted.
That is such an important pattern for us.
It is easy to get distracted by everything happening in the world. It is easy to get distracted by work and family situations, responsibilities, and the constant noise around us.
But if we follow Jesus’ example, we can say:
I am only going to do what I see Jesus doing.
Build Your Life on His Sayings
At the end of Matthew 7, Jesus gives us a comparison. In the King James Bible, He says:
“Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:
And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.”
— Matthew 7:24–25 (KJV)
The storm still came.
The rain came.
The floods came.
The winds blew.
But the house that was built on His sayings stood firm.
If your life feels unstable right now, here is a simple question to ask yourself:
Have I built my life on the sayings of Jesus?
And if you do not know what His sayings are, then the answer is clear. You need to spend time in His Word.
We build our lives on what He says.
If we do not know what He says, we cannot build correctly.
Word and Relationship
There are two parts to keeping your eyes on Jesus.
First, we have to spend time in the Word of God. That is where we learn what He says. That is where our foundation is formed.
But second, we have to spend time with Jesus.
Real time.
You can spend time in the Word and still neglect time with Him. And if you do that, you can slowly become hard. You can become overly strict, overly analytical, or just “all law” without tenderness.
Jesus did not only read Scripture. He said He saw the Father.
There is something mysterious and beautiful about that. Jesus was actually seeing what the Father was doing.
That can be hard for people to grasp. But I believe it is important.
If we want to see what Jesus is doing, we have to get into the quiet place.
We have to step into the prayer closet.
Turn off the noise.
Sit quietly before the Lord.
And say:
“Jesus, show me what You are doing.”
Then we wait.
We listen.
We watch.
We give Him space to speak.
We give Him space to move in our hearts.
That is how we keep our eyes on Him.
This Week’s Encouragement
I truly believe the Lord wants to encourage someone reading this:
Spend time in the Word so you know His sayings.
Spend time with the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit so you only do what you see your Father doing — just like Jesus did.
There are many things competing for your attention right now.
But there is only one place of stability.
Keep your eyes on Jesus.
The Weekly Recap:
Trust the KJV
A series about why stability matters.
Additional Finished Series
This last week I finished up a couple of series:
Guarding the Gospel: Recognizing and Resisting Calvinism in Today’s Church
Many people are quietly being taught about Calvinism, but not seeing how it’s affecting their faith. I think this series is helpful for understanding the Gospel and how Calvinism infiltrates. I think it’s worth a read.
The Islamic Dilemma: A Roadmap to This Series
There’s been a big push for Islam in the area, so I’ve had lots of opportunities to share the love of Jesus with Muslims. Jesus loves Muslims, and if you want to share Jesus with them, this series will help.
Have you noticed more “Halal” labels popping up lately?
Grocery stores. Restaurants.
Most people assume it just means healthier or more humane food. But Halal is actually a religious designation.
This isn’t about fear or hostility. It’s about conscience and clarity.
As Christians, it’s worth asking:
Is participation spiritually neutral?
I started researching yoga nearly 20 years ago.
Updated it 10+ years ago.
And after revisiting it again recently, I realized the conversation is still in front of us.
If you’ve ever asked:
Is yoga just stretching?
Or does its spiritual history actually matter for Christians?
I wrote something about yoga that might help you think it through.
Imagine being so unbothered by storms, even with the ship being covered with waves, that you’re sleeping in the boat.
I want to be like that.
Then to even wake up and calm the winds and the seas.
Jesus is awesome!
So Much Writing:
I realize there is a lot linked in this week’s newsletter, and some of it could be heavy. So take your time. Read through what could be helpful for you, and come back to other things later. Maybe share the article with someone who is struggling with any of these topics, or bookmark it for yourself later.
All in all, keep your eyes on Jesus, and spend time with Him.
He loves you!
Favorite Fiction Book?
Do you have a favorite fiction book?
What is it?
And would you be willing to share a photo or screenshot of a favorite passage... a scene that really stayed with you?
I’m working on a few different stories right now, and I’ve been thinking a lot about reading level, and how the level of the writing shapes the audience it reaches.
I’d love to see what resonates with you.
It could be something you’ve read… or even something you’ve written. (That would be so cool to see something you’ve written!)
What kind of writing speaks to you most?