And Moses made a serpent of bronze and put it on a pole, and if a serpent had bitten any man, when he looked to the serpent of bronze [attentively, expectantly, with a steady and absorbing gaze], he lived. – Numbers 21:9, Amplified Bible (AMP)

Have you ever done anything half-cocked? If you have, then you know that whenever you attempt to do anything in a half-hearted manner, one of two things will likely happen, and a third thing will surely happen. Regarding the “likely,” half-hearted efforts result in either: A) mediocre results, or B) total failure. Regarding the “surely,” half-hearted efforts will always fall short of excellent results. The only way anyone can achieve excellence in anything is to pursue the goal with 100% dedication and effort.

Most people would agree with the above statements, but only a few have ever applied them to their Christian walk. So many Christians lead failed lives because they’ve never given Christ more than a half-hearted effort. Periodic glances at the Bible, occasional praying, and sporadic church attendance characterize the average Christian these days, and in return for their half-hearted devotion, they get mediocre or miserable lives.

In Numbers 21:9, the Israelites were not saved from their serpent bites by merely glancing at the brazen serpent. They had to focus with a lingering gaze, coupled with expectant hope, at their salvation. As BibleGateway’s commentary on this passage explains:

Jesus said that as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, “that everyone who believes in Him [who cleaves to Him, trusts Him and relies on Him] may not perish, but have eternal life and [actually] live forever!” (John 3:14, 15). Obviously this implies that the look that caused the victim of a fiery serpent to be healed was something far more than a casual glance. A “look” would save, but what kind of a look? The Hebrew text here means “look attentively, expectantly, with a steady and absorbing gaze.” Or, as Jesus said in the last verse of the chapter quoted above (John 3:36), “He who believes in (has faith in, clings to, relies on) the Son has (now possesses) eternal life.” But whoever does not so believe in, cling to, and rely on the Son “will never see… life.” The look that saves is not just a fleeting glance; it is a God-honoring, God-answered, fixed, and absorbing gaze!

If you are a born-again Christian but have no evidence of God’s power in your life, it’s not because God lacks the ability to grant you that power. It’s because you aren’t consistently gazing upon Him with expectant hope. God can and wants to fulfill the promises He made to all of us in the Bible, but He won’t fulfill those promises for us until we value Him above all else. Job valued God more than his necessary food. Do you? If you don’t, plan on remaining in mediocrity – or misery – until you do.