Look to Jesus
Scripture Reading — Isaiah 45:22-25
Turn to me and be saved, all you ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other.
Growing up in a Christian family in which his father was a minister, Charles Spurgeon reported that he thought highly of his own good character, but he eventually realized that he wasn’t truly convicted of his sin until he reflected on all he had been taught about the Ten Commandments. Sometime later, one Sunday in the 1850s, when Spurgeon was on his way to church in a snowstorm, he was unable to reach his church and decided to attend a Methodist chapel along the way. Only twelve people were there. No minister was present. Eventually a poor man went up to the pulpit, opened the Bible to Isaiah 45:22, and read, “Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth.”
Then, describing Jesus, the man preached, “Look unto me; I am hanging on the cross. Look: I am dead and buried. Look unto me; I rise again. Look unto me; I ascend; I am sitting at the Father’s right hand.” He went on for a few minutes till he noticed Charles, a stranger in the audience, and said, “Young man, you look very miserable. And you will always be miserable . . . if you do not obey the text. . . . Look to Jesus Christ. Look!”
A cloud lifted for Charles. He looked to Jesus, his heart was transformed, and he went on to become a remarkable preacher for the rest of his life.
It sounds so simple. But what Jesus had to do for us was incredibly difficult. It’s all about God’s unfailing love and grace. Will you look to Jesus?
Lord, we look to you, for salvation is from you and you alone. We praise you. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
About the author — John Kuperus
Since he was young, John Kuperus has had a passion that everyone would know Jesus. Spreading the good news that “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners” (1 Timothy 1:15) is very important to him. To be better equipped for missions, John attended Reformed Bible College in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He applied these skills with marketplace evangelism in a business he started in Sussex, New Jersey. This calling continued to follow him, so John attended seminary and became a minister in the Christian Reformed Church, serving a church in Ontario for eight years. Currently he serves as a missionary for Youth with a Mission (YWAM). He witnesses Jesus changing lives as people walk out of the darkness into the light. John is married to Helen, and they have seven children.
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