Daily Bread November 16

Keep Your Eyes on Jesus
Judy Maid of Loveland, CO, USA


The temple shall be dedicated to the pursuit of peace. It shall be for reconciliation and for healing of the spirit…And it shall be a place in which the essential meaning of the Restoration as healing and redeeming agent is given new life and understanding, inspired by the life and witness of the Redeemer of the world. -Doctrine and Covenants 156:5a, e

I love to play tennis. It can be a game of fun and excitement if you follow the guidelines for getting the ball to go where you want it to. In spite of playing for many years, I have a problem that I continually repeat. I don’t keep my eyes on the ball. I can do everything right, but when I take my eyes off the ball, I usually lose the point.

My point in sharing this is what so many of us fail to do, especially when the going gets tough. We take our eyes off Jesus and focus on the circumstances we are facing. We lose sight of God’s power and help and fall prey to losing the victory that is ours. Just as I lose the point in tennis for neglecting to do a simple thing, so it is in our walk with the Lord; we lose the point of what God is doing in our lives. We become like Peter when Jesus appeared to him that horrific stormy night. As long as his eyes were on Jesus, he could walk on water. We all know what happened once he looked at the raging storm. We, like Peter, sink into depression and fear that ends up crippling our faith.

Hebrews 12:1-2 reads, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith.”

What about you? Are you standing or sinking in midst of your faith challenges? I hope that as you keep your eyes on Jesus, you will experience His great power and victory.

Prayer Phrase

“Over the years we melt into what we seek” (Joan Chittister, The Liturgical Year).

Spiritual Practice

We are in the threshold between seasons in the Christian calendar. You may have been noticing the physical transitions of the seasons wherever you live as some enter the depths of winter and others the warmth of summer. The seasons are a visible reminder that even among the most predictable rhythms and routines of our lives, change is always happening. The events of our moments, days, weeks, years form us and transform us over time. We enter each season different from when we arrived here last. This is the nature of this cyclical journey of faith. In these final days of the Christian calendar and the season of Ordinary time, there is opportunity to take a sacred pause, to notice how you arrive in this threshold. What have you been formed by this year? What has been deepening you as you’ve lived through another cycle of this life of faith?

Today’s Prayer for Peace

Engage in a daily practice of praying for peace in our world. Click here to read today’s prayer and be part of this practice of peace.

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