BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU SEE
Bernadette Keene
Today’s Scripture: “The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light, but if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!” Matthew 6:22-23, ESV
Theme: If we have God’s perspective, we will take the right path.
WHAT WE LOOK AT MATTERS
Have you ever heard the phrase “the eye is the window to the soul?” I grew up hearing this saying and, while this exact phrase is not in the Bible, the concept is there reflected in our verse of the day. So, what does it mean to have healthy eyes and how does it relate to the whole body?
Scientifically, the brain receives signals that are transmitted, processed, and interpreted by way of the optic nerve. This process allows the brain to perceive what we see, influencing our thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. Over time, if what we are seeing and processing is negative, sinful, or traumatic, we will begin to view the world through that negative lens, leading to sin and dimming the light within.
Because we live in a fallen world, the struggle to keep Godly vision is challenging. Especially with the explosion of technology and growing acceptance of sinful behavior, our view can become skewed. As we allow ourselves to be entertained by sin in the shows and movies we watch, the video games we play, and the crowds we hang out with, eventually we will begin to accept those concepts as okay, and we slowly begin to embrace what God rejects. We give in to the initial lie that Satan fed to Eve in the garden which was: “Did God really say that?” This lie led us to where we are today- a fallen and sinful world. When we look upon sin and accept it, our light fades and we are not able to reflect the truth to a broken world. But God…
WHAT CAN WE DO?
God knew we would need help, so He provided a way through His Son, Jesus. Realistically, it would be hard to be in the world wearing blinders that protect our eyes from consuming every sinful act. There are things in this world that God wants us to see, like the expansion of the night sky full of stars that He spread out for us with His right hand (Isaiah 46:13, NLT); the beauty of sunrises and sunsets with colors so brilliant they cannot be emulated by the human hand; delicate flowers swaying in the wind; the smell of pine trees; and the warm smiling faces of the people we love.
Make It Personal: We do not want to miss the beauty of this life by walking around with blinders on. So, what can we do? As children of God, we must make choices. We have a free will and because we love God and want to share Jesus with others, we must choose God’s way even when the world mocks us.
Pray: Father, we love You and we want to shine brightly for You in this fallen world. Strengthen us when we are faced with hard choices and help us to turn our eyes away from sin and keep them focused on You. In Jesus’ Name we pray, Amen.
Read: Proverbs 4:25 -26, Ephesians 1:18
Weekly Memory Verse: “Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.” Matthew 6:1, ESV