Looking Up

Matt Miles • February 2, 2021

     What is your focus centered on during these dark days? Is your hope in a governmental party? Is a vaccine your salvation? Does your sustenance rise and fall with the stock market? Or, do you continue to look up for your eternal destiny?

     Our focus this year at CTF is to exhort you to keep LOOKING UP, as the author of Hebrews tells us in the second verse of the twelfth chapter. Fixing our eyes on Jesus is our utmost priority. With everything going on around us, we can be easily distracted. Yet our focus is to stay on Christ, because he is the Author and Perfecter of our faith.

     His authorship obviously began at creation, and this qualifies Him like none other to be our prime focus in these days. We need the only One who has been here since the beginning, the One on whom all rests, the only One who is absolute and almighty, the only One in ultimate authority! All of this may seem quite trite, but if we are real with ourselves, nothing else can sustain. We could try to look else where, but all other avenues lack His authority as Author to guide us through life.

     He is also our Perfecter – the one who perfected this life like no one else could in all of history. Sin has come into the world and marred it. We have blemished the perfection of creation. Our relationship with the Author has been damaged and we have no way to restore it under our own power. The world is in chaos and we keep trying to fix it, but even with our best efforts life continues to spiral out of our control. We are in desperate need of the Perfecter to restore our relationship and life like only He is able. He holds the keys to life because He, as the author of Hebrews relates, endured the cross with great joy in the midst of shame and chaos, so that we may be perfected from our sin and death that we encounter, sometimes it seems daily.

     Our sustenance, salvation, comfort, rest, and hope can only be perfected through the Author of life and conqueror of death. Let us continue in 2021 to keep LOOKING UP at Him, Jesus Christ, and nowhere else. And before you know it, things might start looking up, or at the least our comfort level in the midst of the chaos will begin looking up. Blessings in this year 2021!

Signing the Mayflower Compact by Jean Leon Gerome Ferris, 1899
By Ryan Cox March 19, 2026
EACH OF THESE ARTICLES ARE EXCERPTS FROM AMERICA’S EPIC ADVENTURE TM - CTF'S NEWEST VBS CURRICULUM From Lesson 1: The Pilgrims, Walking by Faith in the Lord – Proverbs 3:5-6
model train engine
By Matt Miles March 19, 2026
There are moments in life that we experience the Lord’s Providence, which is the continual guiding and caring of us for His purposes. We may go though trials and suffering now to refine our faith in preparation for eternity. Other times we may see it for the here and now, with the aligning of plans for His purpose in our life, maybe with the opening or closing of a door. Many times we see Providence only in hindsight, looking back on life and seeing His hand working, molding and inspiring us for His plans and to His glory. I can see the Lord’s Providence at many times over the course of my life. Early in my grade school years I developed a love for building models I was recently reminded, along with my father, that we built a train set together in our basement. Following that, I began to build model cars and airplanes. I now know that love of building, tinkering and problem solving was Providence preparing me for this ministry. The Lord taught me early on how to stay focused and pay attention to detail. What I thought was only a hobby at the time is now something I must use on a regular basis in things such as fossil restoration, building crates, trailer and vehicle maintenance for our mobile museum. Later in high school, while active in church, the Lord called me to serve our children’s church ministry. I began to help teach others about Jesus. It seemed insignificant at the time. I remember helping in lesson times and the puppet ministry. I even was cast as “Pastor Rufus” in one of our ongoing puppet skits. My opportunities to share Christ and be an example to those younger than I was tremendous. Again through His Providence, the Lord was guiding me and calling me to ministry. He developed in me the love of teaching His Word to others, priceless to me today. Then in college Providence brought Theresa and I together. The Lord knew exactly who I needed to be my bride for life. She is strong in my weakness and more Christ-like than anyone I know. She is the perfect helpmate and partner for me in ministry as well, which has so far been 34 years, to be exact. Many times the Lord has used her discernment to direct me through a situation that I did not see correctly. I am thankful every day for Providence that brought us together in life and eternal work. As I look back on my life, there are more Providential moments than I have space to write. Most of those times have directly guided me to this specific ministry and my call to preach and teach His Word. Looking back on life and identifying those moments of Providence from the Lord is humbling and awe-inspiring. Please take a moment to remember your own moments when Providence has been evident in your life. This ministry is about identifying Providence from the beginning. His plan from the start is us spending eternity in His presence. Our sin messed some things up, but not His plan. He always has and always will know exactly how to guide and care for us so that we bring Him the glory, now and eternally. There is not a month that goes by that we here at CTF don’t praise the Lord for His Providence through you, our supporters and sustainers. Join with me in thanks for His Providence each day, guiding as only our Creator and Savior could do. Psalms 31:3-5 Blessings.
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