Eyes Right

Matthew 6: The Sermon on the Mount (31)

Pray Psalm 101.1, 2.
I will sing of mercy and justice;
To You, O LORD, I will sing praises.
I will behave wisely in a perfect way.
Oh, when will You come to me?
I will walk within my house with a perfect heart.

Sing Psalm 101.1, 2.
Jesus I Come
I will of lovingkindness now sing—praise to You, LORD! Praise to You, LORD! 
Justice and mercy, LORD, let me bring praise to You, holy LORD! 
I will the blameless way ever heed; no worthless thing my eyes shall impede. 
When will You come and care for my need? Praise to You, holy LORD!

Read Matthew 6.16-23; meditate on verses 22, 23.
How does this “lamp” work?

Prepare.
1. How does Jesus refer to the eye in these verses?

2. How does what we look at—or contemplate or think about—affect our body?

Meditate.
The eye of the body provides an entrance to the soul. It “lets light”—the light of God’s Word—into the mind, heart, and conscience. What we look at and what we entertain in our mind and heart will affect our entire body—what we do. We need to watch over our souls, so that what God has set in us for righteousness does not become corrupt and hijacked for evil. 

Watching over the soul involves watching what you, well, watch. What you read. What you view on the Internet, watch on TV, see in films. The images you ponder. If we are always watching bad people doing duplicitous, self-seeking things; or goofy people doing ridiculous, self-denigrating things; or pragmatic people doing whatever they think they can get away with, this will affect us.

But if we set our eyes—beginning with the eye of our heart (Eph. 1.15-23)—on seeing the beauty, goodness, and truth of the Lord (cf. Col. 3.1-3), then the light of Christ will shine in our soul, shaping our thoughts and affections, and setting our values on the Rock of salvation. Our soul thus “enlightened”, we will be more likely to do good works for the glory of God.

The righteousness that characterizes the Kingdom of God does not simply happen in us the longer we are believers in Jesus. We must guard our heart; think with the mind of Christ; look to the Law of God for our basic values and ethical choices (Matt. 5.17-19), and bask always in the light of the glory of Jesus’ face (2 Cor. 4.6). Opening your eyes to the beauty of Jesus is like opening a camera lens to an image: It makes an impression on your soul (2 Cor. 3.12-18).

Keep your eyes right and your soul will be right as well, and will lead your body into good works, rather than wickedness.

Treasure Old and New: Matthew 13.52; Psalm 119.162
“The entrance of Your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple” (Ps. 119.130).

Houses, either the buying or selling of them, have one thing in common:
First impressions are a deal breaker/maker.
What you experience first—the entrance—is key.
If it is cluttered, dark, and dingy, it will mar the rest.

Similarly, if Jesus, the Light of the whole world (Jn. 8.12), is what we first encounter:
“I AM the door, if anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture” (Jn. 10.9); then the rest of the dwelling will be expansively bright and peaceful.
Illumination is what happens when we sit with Him, reading His Word, and praying it through.

However, if we have allowed our entranceway to become cluttered, dark, and dingy, 
with worldly treasures that trip us up and bring confusion to our dwelling; 
then we can expect all the accoutrements that go with that mess: 
Because we have rebelled against the words of God, and 
despised the counsel of the Most High, 
thus we can expect to sit “in darkness and in the shadow of death, 
bound in affliction and irons…” (Ps. 107.10, 11).

“For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light…” (Eph. 5.8).

The way to keep our entrance uncluttered, clean, and bright is to understand the importance of tidying up daily with God’s Word; throwing open the windows to let His Light pour into our heart and soul.
“For the commandment is a lamp, and the law a light; reproofs of instruction are the way of life, to keep you from…” (Prov. 6.23, 24) whatever are dark bits of your life.

Jesus calls us “out of darkness into His marvelous light” (1 Pet. 2.9).
He is that “Light that shines in a dark place” (2 Pet. 1.19).
He is that “great Light” that has shone upon us (Is. 9.2).

“The darkness is passing away, and the true Light is already shining” (1 Jn. 2.8)
but this demands attention and change in us. 
John wrote: “He who says he is in the light, 
and hates his brother, is in darkness until now. 
He who loves his brother abides in the light, and there is no cause for stumbling in him. 
But he who hates his brother is in darkness and walks in darkness, 
and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes…
Do not love the world or the things in the world. 
If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him” (1 Jn. 2.9-11, 15). 

But love for God and others overwhelms the darkness,
brings understanding to the simple, and 
becomes a bright, shining, heavenly treasure—eyes right.

Right?

Reflect.
1. How could you improve in setting your mind on Christ, exalted in glory?

2. How would doing so help to keep the lamp of your eye clear?

3. How does the darkness of this age affect the soul? How can we resist that tendency?

For just as when the eyes are blinded, some of the ability of the other members is diminished, their light being quenched, so also when the mind is depraved, your life will be filled with countless evils. As therefore in the body it is our aim to keep the eye sound, so also it should be our aim to keep the mind sound in relation to the soul. John Chrysostom (344-407), The Gospel of Matthew 203

Pray Psalm 101.3-8.
Commit yourself throughout this day to seeing the Lord and following faithfully in the path of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Spirit.

Sing Psalm 101.3-8.
Jesus I Come
I will the works of wicked men scorn—praise to You, LORD! Praise to You, LORD! 
They will not grip me, evening or morn: Praise to You, holy LORD! 
Separate every sin from my heart; slanderers all from me shall depart. 
I will not suffer pride in my heart: Praise to You, holy LORD! 

Let me with saints and faithful ones dwell—praise to You, LORD! Praise to You, LORD! 
He Who is just shall care for me well: Praise to You, holy LORD! 
Naught of deceit or falsehood shall be ever allowed a place within me. 
Daily let sin and wickedness flee: Praise to You, holy LORD!

T. M. and Susie Moore

If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment to give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Cor. 4.15).

Other columns of interest: This week: The Read Moore podcast continues readings from our book, The Kingdom Turn. Our Crosfigell teaching letter presses ahead in a series on the state of the Church in Europe at the time of the Celtic Revival. The ReVision column looks at people in ministry. Check out our other excellent writers. Click here to see all the other columns and writers available to you.

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Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter.