Eyes

by Susan Sampson

The title of this study is Falling In Love Again with Your Lord.  I desperately want to love the Lord with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength.  I know I don’t.  I know I can’t — apart from the grace of God.  Not one of us can unless the Lord moves.  This is the cry of my heart.  The Lord is faithful.  He will do it.  He has promised!  It’s written in Deuteronomy 30:6.  “And the Lord your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your offspring, so that you will love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live.”

When Laurie opened in prayer, I just had to open my eyes so I could record what she said.  She asked the Lord to “lift our eyes upward to gaze at your eyes.”  I want to see the eyes of my Savior because I know they are filled with love and tenderness. I want to gaze at those eyes filled with love.  Just recently I listened to a sermon by Allistair Begg and in his closing prayer he prayed, “Lord, give us soft eyes.”  Jesus has soft eyes.  I thought of all the times I’ve had hard eyes with those I love and it broke my heart.

On Monday, September 16, Laurie sent an eMoment that was titled, “He Never Rolls His Eyes.”  Now that’s a packed sentence!  Jesus never rolls His eyes.  He has unlimited patience.  Listen to Paul describe Christ in 1 Timothy 1:16 (NIV), “But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life.”  Again my heart broke as I thought of all the times I have rolled my eyes in pride and arrogance, impatience, and even disgust.

Jesus is our gentle and tender Shepherd.  He loves us.  He wants to be the lifter of our heads and gaze into our eyes and have us see the depth of the amazing love that fills His heart for us.  Is there a greater love anywhere on this earth — that God Himself would die in the place of sinners?  In our place, condemned He stood.

Lord, will you please use this study, this giant binder as your tool to cause us to fall head over heels in love with you?  We want to know your heart, your character, your love.  We want to be filled with your love so that we can love with the love of Christ those whom you have placed in our lives.

Again I had to stop and write when Laurie spoke as though the Lord were speaking directly to each of us.  “I want to spend time with you.  We’re going to do this.”  Recently I wrote in my journal that Jesus is a person not a concept.  He is real and he rewards those who earnestly seek him (Hebrews 11:6).

So will we be like Mary or Martha?  Will we draw near to Him?  “Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you” (James 4:8).  Will we sit at His feet and listen?  Will we come each week to class believing we are part of the body of Christ?

He is calling.  “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30).

Lord, lift our eyes upward to gaze into your eyes and then compel us by your love to come and follow you.

He is faithful.  He will do it.