God, open my eyes, show me the world, show me what you want me to see, and guard my mind against what I see that could hurt me.
Depending on which version of the bible you read, there are over five hundred references to the eyes. Here are just a few of them:
Acts 26:17b-19 I am sending you to them to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.
1 John 2:15-17 (Amplified) Do not love or cherish the world or the things that are in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world–the lust of the flesh [craving for sensual gratification] and the lust of the eyes [greedy longings of the mind] and the pride of life [assurance in one's own resources or in the stability of earthly things]–these do not come from the Father but are from the world [itself]. And the world passes away and disappears, and with it the forbidden cravings (the passionate desires, the lust) of it; but he who does the will of God and carries out His purposes in his life abides (remains) forever.
Hebrews 12:2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
So, how do we look at the world in love, without loving the world? How do keep from becoming polluted by the world? Focus more on who we are.
We need to learn to know who we are. Once we know this, we automatically know who we are not. From that point on, we learn how to love; from that point on, we learn how to filter through the eyes of faith, instead of religion. Real love isn’t a list of do’s and don’ts, it’s a heart thing.
I was chatting with Kary Oberbrunner yesterday, author of The Fine Line, and he mentioned that God gave us ten commandments to live by, but the Pharisee’s lived by over six hundred additional laws to help them keep the original ten. Jesus narrowed it down to just two. Love God & Love People.
So again I quote Saint Augustine’s famous words: “Love God, and do as you please.”
If we love God with our hearts, our eyes will follow, showing his love to all the world. Stop worrying about being corrupted by the world and instead dream about ways to influence the world.
Recent Comments