[320 words]
Sin has a way of demanding our attention. Whether it is a sin someone has committed against us or our falling prey to our own evil desires (James 1:14), sin has a way of becoming our focus. All sin is against God and carries with it the spiritual death sentence demanded by God’s holiness (Rom 6:23b; 7:11-12). This makes sin in our lives and in our world a truly important fact to be understood. We must let God’s word point out sin so that we are conscious of it (Rom 3:20). However, sin, regardless if it is committed by us or against us, should not be the thing we behold or fix our eyes upon. When we behold something, we fix our eyes, also our mind’s eye, upon it, so that it is becomes our focus. The problem is that we tend to gravitate toward our focus. We cannot journey north focusing and beholding what is to our south.
Perhaps this is part of why God continually tells us to fix our eyes on Jesus, and consider Him (Heb 12:2,3). John, the disciple whom Jesus loved (John 13:23; 19:26), knew Jesus well and knew how important it was for the church to focus on Him and His work at the cross, as the Lamb of God.
The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! (John 1:29).
My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense–Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. 2 He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world (1 Jn 2:1-2).
This week, even if sin abounds, let us remember who is the object of our journey, and keep our eyes fixed upon Him, behold Him and His work.
Jay Don Poindexter
Merkel church of Christ
Merkel, TX