The Gaze

Read: 2 Corinthians 3:16-18

We all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. 2 Corinthians 3:18, NIV

IN WORD

Some human beings are problem-avoiders, but the more responsible among us are problem-solvers by nature. When we see a problem, we focus on it. Sometimes we even obsess over it, turn it inside out, and analyze it to death. That rarely helps, but we do it anyway, even to the point of losing sleep. Our attention is drawn to the negative because we feel compelled to fix it.

That approach doesn’t work very often in many areas of life, but it’s particularly deadly when we’re dealing with the old nature. Nowhere does Scripture tell us to focus on sin in order to get rid of it. Anyone who has tried—whether through self-discipline, wallowing in guilt, or any other tactic that draws attention to the sin—has certainly found themselves stuck in a horrible condition. Why? Because we grow in the direction of our gaze. Always. And gazing at our problems only intensifies their effects.

The biblical approach to conforming to Jesus is to look at Him. That’s right; we stare. With unveiled faces, we gaze at His glory. We stop paying attention to sin and start paying attention to a vision of our future. We may not know how it happens, but that gaze will transform us. We’ll look back and realize that we were once stuck in the old nature and now we’ve grown to be much more like Christ. Our focus will always shape us, so Scripture tells us to focus exclusively on Him.

IN DEED

That isn’t hard to understand. Little Leaguers focus on professional athletes and begin to walk, talk, and spit like them. Rock enthusiasts start to dress, pierce, and strut like their idols. We conform to what we love. So if we love Jesus—if we are constantly fixing our eyes on Him and ignoring our old nature—a new nature begins to reshape us. We become like Him. And we are perfectly formed for His Kingdom.

ADDITIONAL READING: 1 John 3:2

To become like Christ is the only thing in the world worth caring for.

JOHN DRUMMOND