From Charles Hicks, a member of the churches of Christ in TN: on Monday, May 12, 2014: Bible Thought for the Week “Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee”—Proverbs 4:25 I wonder, today, how are your eyes? There are many references to the eye found in the Bible and quite often those references have a tremendous application to our spiritual well being. With our eyes we discriminate, we perceive, we discern and make decisions based on what our eyes have put into our hearts. The desires of our heart will be fed by whatever we focus our eyes upon. It is important for us to discipline ourselves as to what our eyes are focused on because the heart can be contaminated with the lust and passions of the flesh that will render it impure (Gal. 5:19-21, 1 Thess. 5:21, Rom. 12:9, Phil 4:8, Gal. 5:22-25). When our eyes are properly focused, our affections will be on things above and those are the things that we will seek (Col. 3:1-2). A great duty, yea responsibility, has been placed upon us to “keep our heart with all diligence” (Prov. 4:23). When the heart is kept pure, then that which comes forth from it will be just and good but when that which is corrupt is put into the heart, then it will spew forth all manner of perverse things. In reality our heart is the controlling factor in all that we say and do. Therefore, a very strict eye must be kept on that which enters the heart in order to ensure that we live in a way that pleases God. Realizing that it is through the eye of the heart that we think, reason, believe, desire, trust, determine and love should inspire all of us to be very cautious as to the messages we send to the heart as we go about our daily activities (Prov. 23:7, Mark 2:8, Romans 10:9-10, Romans 10:1, Prov. 3:5, 1 Cor. 7:37, Mark 12:30). I wonder, as Jesus looks into our hearts today what does he see? Does he see great faith (Matt. 15:28), little faith (Matt. 14:31) or perhaps even no faith (Mark 4:40)? It is my firm conviction that the faith he sees in our heart is dependent upon what we have through our eyes placed within the heart. In Ephesians 1:18, Paul speaks of “having the eyes of the heart enlightened that ye may know what is the hope of his calling and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints” (ASV). Our hearts are really the lamp of our souls and the heart will only be enlightened when the lamp dwells on those things that are true, honest, just, pure, lovely and of good report (Phil. 4:8). Only when our hearts seek to add those things that make our calling and election sure will we understand what our calling is all about and fully be able to appreciate the inheritance that one day will be ours (John 14:1-3, 2 cor. 5:1). Friends, we can feed our hearts with whatever we desire to set our eyes on but know this, for all these things, God will one day bring us into judgment (Eccl. 11:9, 2 Cor. 5:10). Charles Hicks [email protected]
Posted on: Thu, 15 May 2014 02:06:17 +0000
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