Draw Nearer

I am learning to draw nearer to the Lord. It is a lifelong path. After almost fifty years of serving Him, I am not where I want to be. But I am getting closer.

One day last week, during my morning quiet time with the Lord, a song written one hundred years ago flowed from my heart. I sang the chorus to “Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus.” Do you know it?

Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
In the light of His glory and grace.

When we look upon Jesus with our whole heart, our problems no longer seem as large. Our troubles seem to fade when we consider the sacrifice He made for us and focus on the hope He gives. He died so we can live eternally with Him if we know Him as our Savior and Lord.

I read YouVersion’s Verse of the Day each morning and journal the verse along with the Guided Prayer. The app offers background music, too, which helps me to focus on a quiet and personal time with the Lord. The verse on the day I sang, “Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus,” was Isaiah 26:3.  

You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you,
all whose thoughts are fixed on you! (NLT)

This verse spoke to my heart and aligned with the song that I had sung. If I fix my thoughts on Jesus, and I trust in Him, I can turn my eyes upon Him and see not only the light of His glory and grace, but perfect love and peace.

Because I could not remember the verses to “Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus,” I googled the song. Here is verse one.

O soul, are you weary and troubled?
No light in the darkness you see?
There’s light for a look at the Savior,
And life more abundant and free!

When our troubles seem to overwhelm us and we don’t know what to do, we can look to Christ. In Him, we find light, life, and freedom. And because of the freedom He has given us, we can draw nearer to Him.

What do you see when you turn your eyes upon Jesus?

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Lemmel, Helen Howarth. “Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus.” Hymnary. Accessed July 3, 2023. Turn Your Eyes upon Jesus | Hymnary.org.

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No Regrets

Several years have gone by since I read the entire Bible from start to finish. This year I’m reading through the Bible chronologically. After reading several books of the Old Testament, I’m reminded of how grateful I am to live under God’s grace and not the law.

During my reading of Leviticus 17, in the New Living Translation, I stopped and reread verse 11.

For the life of the body is in its blood. I have given you the blood on the altar to purify you, making you right with the Lord. It is the blood, given in exchange for a life, that makes purification possible. 

That’s what Christ did for you and me. He shed His blood as a gift to us to give us new life through the forgiveness of our sins.

This time of year, we remember what Christ did for us when He went to the cross, died, and rose from the dead.

When growing up, my parents and the church taught me about Jesus. I understood He gave His life for my sins, but I never realized I needed to make a personal decision to follow Him. The teaching I remember was to attend church whenever, partake in communion once or twice a year, and try to be good.

At twenty-one, my relationship with Christ changed. When I committed my life to Him, He became my Savior, Lord, Deliverer, Friend, Healer, Provider, and so much more. I wanted to serve Him every day of my life. To not only follow His ways, but to surrender my life to Him. The head knowledge I accepted as a youth became heart knowledge and a personal part of my life as a young adult. 

If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved.
Romans 10:9-10 (NLT) 

When I understood my need to repent and surrender my life to Christ, I gladly followed through.

I have no regrets.

That decision transformed my life. God changed me because I allowed Him full access to my heart and soul. He is mine for eternity, and I am His.

Have you given Him full access to your heart and soul? If not, surrender your life to Christ and experience the joy of Easter as a child of God!

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