"Shake me down, not a lot of people left around, who knows now, softly laying on the ground, their eyes cast down. Fixed upon the ground, their eyes cast down. I'll keep my eyes fixed on the sun!"To me these lyrics are both very powerful, telling, and exhibiting a portion of the gospel. With the simple change of one word to (I'll keep my eyes fixed on the Son.) you have the centrality of the gospel and all of it's weight in a few sentences. This phrase portrays two types of people in the world, a division between "they" and "I". Or the Other, and Myself. While you can find portions of the gospel in this song, you can also see the illness of pride lurking in the darkness of this mans heart. The "Me, Myself, and I" is what he's truly worried about, rather than the "We, Us, and Each Other". There's an aspect to God being a relational God, but I think as a church we are missing an aspect of Jesus as our presidential electorate, or Jesus as the leader who directs and composes a family, together. While it may seem that we are individual beings with a command over each of our lives that may differ from each other, we must realize that each of our plans is toward the fulfillment of the prophecy of bringing heaven to earth, and earth to heaven. The "Big Picture" in the kingdom is growing with each other toward the common goal of seeing Yeshua our Messiah act righteousness upon the lands who have forsaken Him and His character of peace, justice, love, and mercy i.e His name being lived out with each other, and at the highest of these the intimacy of which we get to experience with Jesus himself as the highest of our prizes.
"I'll keep my eyes fixed on the Son" is perhaps one of the most humbling and settling phrases we can speak out and truly believe in our hearts. When our focus is shaped and directed toward The Righteous Branch of David, we see how helpless, and hopeless we are without Him. When we see Him alive, moving, living, and active, we see how merciful, kind, and loving He is. To me, having the revelation of Jesus is the most precious gift we could ever be given by the Father, because once we've seen Jesus, we have also seen the Father, "for me and the Father are one." Even now, if I am not asking Him "what do you want to say to these people" I am doing myself, and you, reader, a disservice in not supplying to you the sacred, good, and most Holy conversation that each of us get to be a part of with our Lord and Savior. Not because we are worthy, but because He has allowed, and made us worthy. This is amazing Grace. It's awesome, awe-inspiring. It is good.
So this day, keep your eyes fixed on the son, turn your gaze toward the almighty presence of God and His Holy Spirit. Let your entire being cast out the tendrils of your consciousness toward His love, and allow Him to reach you with His enlightenment, meditation, and rest. To Him, and from Him are all things, for He is worthy of all of our praise, and every second of thanksgiving. While this may be a rollercoaster of sorts, for each of us this challenge of keeping our focus and rest in Him is worthy to take up head on, for the burden that is carried with it is light, and the yoke that we face is easy. Make this challenge your obsession, and every passion. Make Jesus Christ your end goal, and perhaps He will change your plans, perhaps He will keep them just the same. Either way if you really want to follow Him, you must abandon all hope for either, and simply hope in Him. For He knows every word He has written in your scroll. Be bold to ask to read such a book, and be willing to listen. Most importantly, fall in love dangerously and recklessly, for this Love is the end and the beginning, the creator and steward of all things. Keep it up. Praise the Lord, Amen.