Lift Up My Eyes -

About Section Lift Up My Eyes

Why the name Lift Up My Eyes for this blog? When I was contemplating starting my own blog site, I filtered through numerous names and variations. Psalm 121 has always been a favorite of mine, as I was raised in Asheville, North Carolina, which is nestled in the mountains of Western North Carolina. My high school class ring bears the inscription “levavi oculos meos in montes,” which is Latin, quoting the opening line of this Psalm “I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills.” So “Lift Up My Eyes” was a name I gravitated to.

Psalm 121 is a song of ascent. It was frequently used by the Israelites making the journey to Jerusalem, known as a city on a hill. As they were making the journey, they could look up and see Jerusalem atop the mount. Symbolically, we can look upward to God, the author and finisher of our faith.

In studying this concept, I came across Phillippians 3:14, in which Paul states “I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” What struck me was the words “upward call.” As Christians, we are not to walk around, hanging our heads, bemoaning the sad state of affairs. We are to keep our eyes on Jesus, going upward and onward. What is the prize to which Paul referred? The “prize” is the heavenward journey of an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ. Paul often referred to athletic competitions in his writing, comparing them to the Christian life. A world-class athlete becomes one through discipline. Paul is telling us that our call is to be highly disciplined Christians. Or, as he might say today, “World-Class Christians.”

I have often observed celebrities or other famous people who were once well-respected individuals, acclaimed for their accomplishments. Yet, in many cases, they fell from the pedestal on which they had been placed. In other words, they did not finish well. I am always saddened when someone turns out to be an individual unworthy of our accolades, not someone you would look up to. These people did not finish well. They lacked the discipline required to do so.

Paul goes on to implore mature Christians (vv. 15-16) to “have this attitude; and if in anything you have a different attitude, God will reveal that to you as well; however, let’s keep living by that same standard to which we have attained.”

This blog is for the Glory of God. The articles I will include here are designed to help us keep our eyes cast upward, focusing on our Lord and Savior. I hope you will join me in this journey as we seek to become disciplined disciples who finish well.