September 14th
“No one lights a lamp and puts it in a place where it will be hidden, or under a bowl. Instead he puts it on its stand, so that those who come in may see the light. Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eyes are good, your whole body also is full of light. But when they are bad, your body also is full of darkness. See to it, then, that the light within you is not darkness. Therefore, if your whole body is full of light, and no part of it dark, it will be completely lighted, as when the light of a lamp shines on you.” Luke 11:33-36 NIV
The eye is a powerful gateway to our body, soul and spirit. Whatever we allow in through our eyes will fill our entire being. For example, if we are looking at pornography, our minds will be filled with porn images. If we watch violent movies and TV, our minds will be full of violence.
Jesus pointed out that we have the power to choose what we view with our eyes. We have a responsibility as followers of Jesus to ensure that we are not feeding our eyes with evil. If we choose to look at wholesome and good things, we will be “full of light,” shining like a lamp. This in turn will help us get our thoughts focused on Godly things instead of sinful things. Paul wrote, “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable–if anything is excellent or praiseworthy–think about such things” (Philippians 4:8 NIV).
Consider that God wants to use each of us as lights in the world. He paid a tremendous price for each of us to be reconciled to him, such that we could live as redeemed sons, experiencing the joys of knowing him and furthering his kingdom on earth. When we take care to control what our eyes see, we’ll be helping to ensure that we remain filled with God’s light and not the darkness of sin.
Questions for further thought:
How have your viewing habits affected the “light content” of your being?
When we’re full of God’s light, who do we resemble? (1 John 3:2)
How can we use our eyes as “instruments of righteousness” instead of instruments of sin? (Romans 6:12-14)
Prayer:
“Thank you, Lord for blessing me with eyesight. Please forgive me for using my eyes for sin in any way. Please wash any sinful images in my memories with the blood of Jesus. I present my eyes to you as instruments of righteousness. Please teach me how to glorify you with them. May I reflect your glory and love to the people around me. Thank you, Father. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.”