This is my 52nd day in the Middle East dwelling with brothers and sisters who have, as Peter said, “a like faith as ours.” As the Psalmist wrote and sang: how good and pleasant it is!

This morning I awoke to a hymn I sang as a boy…

1 Nothing between my soul and the Savior,
Naught of this world's delusive dream:
I have renounced all sinful pleasure-
Jesus is mine! There's nothing between.

Refrain:
Nothing between my soul and the Savior,
So that His blessed face may be seen;
Nothing preventing the least of His favor:
Keep the way clear! Let nothing between.

2 Nothing between, like worldly pleasure:
Habits of life, though harmless they seem,
Must not my heart from Him ever sever-
He is my all! There's nothing between. [Refrain]

3 Nothing between, like pride or station:
Self or friends shall not intervene;
Though it may cost me much tribulation,
I am resolved! There's nothing between. [Refrain]

4 Nothing between, e'en many hard trials,
Though the whole world against me convene;
Watching with prayer and much self denial-
Triumph at last, with nothing between! [Refrain]

“Therefore, since we also have such a great cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let’s rid ourselves of every obstacle and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let’s run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking only only and to Jesus. Jesus, the originator and perfecter of the faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” -Hebrews‬ ‭12‬:‭1‬-‭2‬ ‭NASB2020‬‬

In this Holy Ghost verse we see the need to fix our eyes on Jesus as we run the race set before us as authored by Him concerning our life that is set before us. He has authorized our place in the race that He has begun in us and has also determined its end. He awaits us at the finish line.

I am 73 and know if I am not caught up in the air at the great shout and the trumpet sound, I have a day where I will cross the finish line and be received by Him. The key to this race is remaining in an enduring, perfecting faith as all those in Hebrews 12. The men and women of God endured all things and continued to and finished that which was begun in them and finished in them.

Webster’s 1828 defines fix:
To make fast; to fasten; to attach firmly; as, to fix a cord or line to a hook.
To set or place steadily; to direct, as the eye, without moving it; to fasten. 
The gentleman fixed his eyes on the speaker, and addressed him with firmness.

In order to run we also must set aside anything that so easily entangles us—the sin—and impedes our progress, but also can cause us to stumble. It is like trying to run a race with our shoestrings tied together. A constant distraction which causes us to look away from Him. We think that we are looking to the finish line, but this is not so. He is the finish line and we are fixed on Him. We have entered the race because of Him and have run the race because of Him and can only finish because of Him. For He Himself fixed His eyes on the Heavenly Father. He only did what He saw the Father doing and He ran—showed us how and ran the race before us. He came and in faith and endurance ran the race and finished in the arms of His Father and ours. He cried out as He died, “IT IS FINISHED!” Hallelujah! Thank You Jesus!

As Paul writes to His beloved Timothy, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” -‭2 Timothy‬ ‭4‬:‭7‬ ‭NIV‬‬

He fought to stay in the race, to keep His eyes on Jesus. He finished as he started: in faith, an enduring faith. Let nothing come between us and Jesus. Glory to God.

Keith Curlee, President