How do we 'look to Jesus'?

BLOG COMMENT: Look to Jesus

It helps when we look to Jesus Christ daily to help us lay aside every weight (provision for the flesh) as well as the sin in walking in the light in fellowship with the Father & the Son. Especially in our thoughts, we need to lean on Him to stop the wicked thoughts and stop playing with desires in our minds to think on good things.

RESPONSE:

Thanks for your informed comment and its advice. I do want to react on a specific phrase in your comment which I believe is important to understand in the context of ‘looking to Jesus daily’.

Your comment says, “when we look to Jesus Christ daily…”

How do we ‘look to Jesus’? This phrase typically means that we follow or imitate Christ according to what He has taught us in scripture. In other words, we don’t look to Jesus by following traditions or ordinances, nor by being molded to a specific church creed or identity. No. We look to Jesus by looking into His Word. The only way we can grow in Him, learn of Him, and become like Him, is to study His Word and allow it to change our mind and our actions in accord to obedience to it.

Having dealt with ‘how’ we look to Jesus, let’s now discuss ‘what’ do we look to?

Do we look to Jesus by following Jesus’ teachings in His earthly ministry? It would come as a surprise to many people, but we do not. We look to the revelation of the mystery which is the doctrine that Jesus gave to Paul to teach. We follow Paul’s pattern and the principles of his doctrine. Consider why Paul says the following in 1Cor 4:16, “Wherefore I beseech you, be ye followers of me.” and in 1Cor 11:1 saying, “Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.” In 1Tim 1:16 he also mentioned he is the pattern for all grace believers to imitate. Thus, to look to Jesus, we don’t follow the earthly ministry of Jesus. Why? Because Jesus’s earthly ministry was not directed to us. In Matt 15:24 it reads, “But he [Jesus] answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” Jesus earthly ministry was for Israel, thus His call for those to follow Him was directed to His kinsmen, the Jews.

It is important that we look to Jesus daily, but we look to Him, not according to His earthly ministry, but according to the ministry and doctrine He revealed to Paul,

Rom 11:13  For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office:

Rom_6:17  But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you.

… to overcome sin and the flesh,

Rom 8:13 For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. 

Gal 2:20  I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

… to walk in fellowship with Christ,

Eph 3:9  And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ:

… to cast down imaginations and thoughts in the mind,

2Cor 10:5  Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;  

Phil 4:8  Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

… and to lean on Him,

Php 3:9  And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:

We exercise and apply the spiritual principles that belong to our doctrine,

Eph 3:6-9  That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel:  (7)  Whereof I was made a minister, according to the gift of the grace of God given unto me by the effectual working of his power.  (8)  Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ;  (9)  And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ:

In order to look to Christ and follow Him, we look to and follow Paul’s doctrine, as this is doctrine delivered to us by the resurrected Christ, designed specifically for us, and able to equip us to accomplish God’s will here, now, and also prepare us for our heavenly purpose in the ages to come.