For where two or three are gathered together in My name,
I am there in the midst of them…Jesus
Like the Psalmist, may we too say–
I was glad when they said to me ‘Let us go unto the house of the Lord!
From F.B. Meyer on this verse–“Looking, not to ourselves or our sins, but to Him who hath put away sin forever. Not to ourselves or our faith, whether in its weakness or its strength, but to Him whose presence is the life of our faith. Not to the world or its temptations, but to Him who hath said: ‘Be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.’ Not to Satan or his threats, but to Him who hath brought him to naught. Not to men, their fear or their favour, but to Jesus, the God–Man, Immanuel, God with us, our Brother and King. Looking to Jesus and Jesus alone.
Looking to Him always and in all. In trial and trouble, as in joy and prosperity; in solitude and repose, as in company and business; in religious worship, as in daily life– always, only, looking to Jesus. Looking to Him, to see what He is, to hear what He speaks, to do what He says, to follow where He leads, to trust for all He waits to give. Looking to Him, till His eye meets mine, and I know that He watches over me. Looking to Him in the power of His love and Spirit, knowing that He Himself is drawing me to Himself, leading and perfecting my faith. Looking to Him, to be changed into His likeness from glory to glory. Let us run the race with patience, looking to Jesus.”
Now from Ray Stedman–“Fix your attention on Jesus, for He can do what no one else can– He can impart faith to you, and He can bring it to perfection at the end. He awaits you when you reach the goal, but He is also with you to strengthen your endeavor and guard your steps along the way. Look at other men and women of faith for inspiration and encouragement, but then look higher up to Jesus.
Why look away from human leaders to Jesus? Because He is the author and finisher of our faith. He gives it and completes it. The word translated here ‘author’ has the thought of pioneer or leader. Jesus has gone before us in this race to keep faith. He knows the need for it. He Himself ran the race. He laid aside every weight, every tie of family and friends. He set His face against the popular sin of unbelief and daily lived in patient perseverance, trusting His Father to work everything out for Him. He set the perfect example. As Bruce says, ‘It was sheer faith in God, unsupported by any visible evidence, that carried Him through the taunting, the scourging, the crucifying, and the more bitter agony of rejection, desertion and dereliction.’
But there is more than example in Him– there is also empowerment! Moment by moment, day by day, as we look to Him, we shall find strength imparted to us. He is not ‘out there’ somewhere. Hebrews has made clear, He is within us, by faith. He has entered into the sanctuary, into the inner person, into the very place where we need strength and grace, and is available every moment to help us in time of need. Having Himself lived by faith, He is able to impart that faith to others. His very life in us imparts the faith we need to run the race of life successfully. So, we cry with Paul, ‘I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.’”
Maranatha!