"Watch out that no one deceives you" (Mark 13:5). “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus” (Hebrews 12:2).

We are visiting here in Massachusetts the next several days. On the way up yesterday we were driving on a very busy I-95 north of New York City through southern Connecticut. Brooksyne saw an interesting new building off to the side of the road and called my attention to it. As I looked for a brief moment the traffic suddenly jammed and I had to slam on the brakes to avoid hitting the car ahead of me. Thankfully the brakes worked and we avoided a collision!

A fundamental safe driving principle is “Watch the road.”  But distractions abound, probably more than ever. It’s amazing how many people are talking on the phone even through dangerous intersections!

It’s the same with spiritual distractions on our most important journey. In the first daily text Jesus warns His followers to “watch out” concerning deceptions and really, there are so many deceptions that can get us off course, both major and minor. “Watch out” means to “turn the thoughts or direct the mind to a thing, to consider, contemplate, to look at, to weigh carefully, examine.” *1 That means “paying attention to the road!”

We are to “fix our eyes on Jesus.” The word translated "fix" is a very powerful word that means, "to look away from one thing and to concentrate on another."*2 It's in the present active indicating a call to continue and actively taking a part. The Amplified Bible words it this way, "looking away [from all that will distract] to Jesus." We need to keep an eternal, spiritual focus in life and we do so by keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus!


Be encouraged today,


Stephen C. Weber

Brooksyne’s note: I was reading in the library early this morning and my mind began to reflect upon a time when we were pastoring here in Taunton.  I was going through a personal struggle and the devil was intent on distracting me from the spiritual work God wanted to do in my life.  By the grace of God and with great discipline I began to spend my mornings in the church library reading God’s Word, memorizing passages and even full chapters from the Bible.  In the midst of this struggle I had a “broken and contrite heart” and I often cried out to God in my distress.  Though I desperately wanted the “distraction” to go away, God used it to get my attention.  It was possibly the greatest time of spiritual growth that I had experienced in my spiritual walk.

“Father, though we know Your Word repeatedly speaks to us of “fixing our eyes” upon You we know that the current struggles we face often dominate our thinking and even the strategy of our day.  Speak to our hearts today and remind us that if we seek You in earnest You will perfect that which concerns us.  Though we often cannot change circumstances around us we can invite You to change the circumstances within our hearts.  In Jesus’ Name, Amen.”

We are staying in a guest room in our former church. The pastor’s office is right across the hallway and he has a wireless router which allows us to connect to the internet using a wireless connection on our laptop without even hooking anything up. That is sure is neat!

*1 New Testament Greek Lexicon
*2 Linguistic Key to the Greek New Testament