Behold Him

There was a time when I made this switch in my mind to stop looking inward.  I was so occupied with what I was doing; praying, reading the Bible; devotions; going to church; fasting; reacting to others the way that I should; doing everything I could to be close to the God of the universe.  I could never be as devoted and committed as those I was comparing myself to.  I felt pressure to be better.  Jesus is our example:  He was fully dependent on God.  He did everything, by doing nothing.  It was God doing it through Him.

I will never feel down on myself if I am gazing at Jesus and trusting in all that Christ already did for me. Sweet release!  Amazing freedom!

What does it mean to behold?  To gaze upon; to fix the eyes upon; to see with attention; to observe with care.

A few of my favorite quotes are:  "Glance at men, Gaze at Jesus".  

and

“If I am to be like Him, then God in His grace must do it, and the sooner I come to recognize it the sooner I will be delivered from another form of bondage.  Throw down every endeavor and say, ‘I cannot do it, the more I try the farther I get from His likeness.  What shall I do?’  Ah, the Holy Spirit says, ‘You cannot do it; just withdraw; come out of it.  You have been in the arena, you have been endeavoring, you are a failure, come out and sit down, and as you sit there BEHOLD HIM, look at Him.  Don’t try to be like Him, just look at Him.  Just be occupied with Him.  Forget about trying to be like Him.  Instead of letting that fill your mind and heart let Him fill it.  Just BEHOLD HIM, look upon Him through the Word.  Come to the Word for one purpose and that is to meet the Lord.  Not to get your mind crammed full of things about the sacred Word, but come to it to meet the Lord.  Make it to be a medium, not of Biblical scholarship, but of fellowship with Christ.  BEHOLD THE LORD.”

                                                                                    --Norman Douty 

If I am a failure then He makes me wildly successful!