Your Eye is a Lamp

Each year I have to go to the eye doctor and get an exam. Without my glasses or contacts, I am pretty blind. What makes it difficult is having a stranger look into your eyes with all kinds of machinery. It serves a purpose, but the level of awkwardness goes through the roof. The reason for that is that your eye is a lamp to your soul.

‭‭Luke‬ ‭11:34‬

“The eye is the lamp of your body; when your eye is clear, your whole body also is full of light; but when it is bad, your body also is full of darkness.”

The eye is discussed a lot in literature. Many authors write about how the eye is the window to the soul, and you can see into a person’s heart by gazing into their eyes. I’m not sure about that, but your eyes will often give you away when things aren’t right. Jesus backs this up when He tells you that your eyes offer a light into your life. If your life is clean, then you can see clearly, but if there aren’t good things happening, then darkness lingers in parts of your heart.

A Binding Agreement

Have you ever signed a legal document like escrow papers to purchase a house? The stack of paper can be a couple of inches thick. You will have to sign and initial many of those pages as you are made aware of your legal responsibility. Once it is all done and notarized, you are legally bound to the contract. It is a covenant that you have entered into with another party, and if you break it, you could be taken to court. Did you know that God entered into a binding agreement with you when you accepted Jesus as your savior? It’s His New Covenant.

‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭8:10‬

FOR THIS IS THE COVENANT THAT I WILL MAKE WITH THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL AFTER THOSE DAYS, SAYS THE LORD: I WILL PUT MY LAWS INTO THEIR MINDS, AND I WILL WRITE THEM ON THEIR HEARTS. AND I WILL BE THEIR GOD, AND THEY SHALL BE MY PEOPLE.”

The writer of Hebrews is quoting Jeremiah 31 and the promise that God had made to the Israelites when they returned from captivity. This was a new covenant. With the Old Covenant, everything was based on what the Israelites did in response to God’s law. The New Covenant was all based on what God was going to do. God says, “I Will.” This is all His doing, and nothing is dependent on what we do. Because it is a Covenant that He has made, it is unbreakable.

Focus Forward

During planting season, there are few things more beautiful than perfect plows lines in the fields. The symmetry of row after row of dirt formed so vegetables can be planted gives a sense of order. If a farmer were to take his eyes off what he was doing, his tractor would go off course, and…

The Cost of Following Jesus

When you take your car to the mechanic, you always brace for the moment when he calls you with the estimate of repairs. How much will it cost to fix it, and how long will you be without it? The Bible tells you the cost of following Jesus. It requires your whole life, but it is well worth it.

‭‭Luke‬ ‭9:23

“And He was saying to them all, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me.”

Jesus laid down the gauntlet for being a disciple. If you follow Me, you have to deny yourself, pick up the cross DAILY, and follow My leading. Most people have no clue about the weight or meaning behind those words. Denying yourself is much more than telling yourself, “no.” It’s trading your life, plans, and aspirations for what God’s plans are. It’s saying, “not my will, but Your will be done.”

You Are Not Forgotten

There are some pretty funny videos on Youtube of athletes left hanging when trying to give a high five. Tom Brady and Josh Hart are two of the best ones to watch. They went to congratulate one of their teammates, but they didn’t see them, and it looks like they were ignored. Josh Hart would always end up high-fiving himself. We all know what it feels like to left out, but I want you to know that if you are faithfully serving the Lord and no one notices or appreciates you, you are not forgotten. Jesus sees you.

‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭6:10

“For God is not unjust so as to forget your work and the love which you have shown toward His name, in having ministered and in still ministering to the saints.”

Ministering to people is tough. You have to love people who make it difficult and serve people who are all about themselves. Most of the time, it would be easier to quit, and many people do. The writer of Hebrews wants you to know that you are not forgotten. God sees the love and service that you freely give to the church and community, and He will remember that when you stand before Him.

There Are No Secrets

Have you ever discovered something surprising about someone you admired, and it shocked you? It could’ve been a long-held secret or dark side that was exposed. Whatever it was, did it leave you shaking your head afterward? Jesus spoke to this when he said, “nothing is hidden.” There are no secrets. You might be able to conceal it for a while, but eventually, it will be exposed.

‭‭Luke‬ ‭8:17

“For nothing is hidden that will not become evident, nor anything secret that will not be known and come to light.”

Jesus is talking about sin. He wants everyone to know that they can try to hide it but eventually, it be made known. At the same time, He is telling us God sees everything. I don’t think Jesus is trying to use scare tactics but is trying to save us from a lot of wasted effort. It takes a lot of work to keep up the lies and deception in an attempt to fool people. That’s why when people’s sins are finally exposed, they express some relief because they are exhausted.

Time to Change that Diet

There isn’t a day that goes by where my email box isn’t full of diets promising that if I follow it, I will lose 50 pounds in a month. All I have to do is buy their secret ingredient, and it will transform my waistline. None of these scams work. Only a steady, balanced diet over time will accomplish that. When it comes to spiritual maturity, some Christians are still living off of a diet of milk when they should’ve grown into eating the meat of the Word of God. For some, it’s time to change that diet.

‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭5:13-14

“For everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness, for he is an infant. But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil.”

The church has a sickness, and the writer of Hebrews is addressing it. There are a ton of people who should be growing in their faith so that they could be teaching others, but they are still spiritual weaklings due to their lack of knowing God’s Word. This happens when we go to a church that teaches keeps their teachings shallow. When the pastor only pumps you with positivity or prosperity, you are not going to grow. If you need to be motivated and comforted and don’t like to be convicted by our sin, then you are starving yourselves. You need a steady diet of God’s Word.

The Least of These

In each society, there is a class or race of people that everyone looks down on. It’s not right but, sadly, its human nature. Those of a higher class will always look down on those in the lowest one. They will be mistreated, and people will doing everything in their power to keep them down. That is what makes Christianity so different. Everyone is equal, and even those who would be considered “the least of these” are still assured salvation from sins and eternity in heaven.

‭‭Luke‬ ‭7:28

“I say to you, among those born of women there is no one greater than John; yet he who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.”

Jesus declared that John the Baptist was the greatest amongst all of the prophets. These are high words of praise for a very simple man and puts him in the company of some of the Old Testament legends. If you look at his ministry, it is easy to agree. He was the one the prophets spoke about as the “Voice calling out in the wilderness, “Prepare the way for the Lord.” John had a special mission to prepare the world for the coming of Jesus.

That’s Sharp

Some Japanese knives are so sharp that if you barely touch the knife to the surface of a piece of fruit, it will be so precise you won’t see the mark. That’s sharp! There is something sharper than that knife, and that is God’s Word. It can pierce the soul and the spirit.

‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭4:12‬

“For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”

This is one of my favorite verses on the power of God’s Word. Scripture isn’t just words printed on paper but living and powerful. It can pierce our souls and convict us of our sins. That’s why you can read something that was spoken by God thousands of years ago, and it cuts right to your heart. It’s more than pithy sayings or words of Wisdom. It is the Word of God.

A Harvest of Abundant Fruit

Israel was a society that relied on agriculture to survive. The farmers worked hard to take the land that God gave them to turn it into fertile soil that produced bumper crops. Because of that, Jesus often taught with stories or analogies that were based on growing fruit. If a farmer let the weeds and thorns grow on his land, he wouldn’t be harvesting any crop. The same can be said for our hearts. If they are soil ready for planting, it will produce a harvest of abundant fruit.

‭‭Luke‬ ‭6:44

“For each tree is known by its own fruit. For men do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they pick grapes from a briar bush.”

The metaphor of fruit is used throughout the Scriptures to indicate growth. Lack of fruit in one’s life is a sign of a barren spiritual life. If your life exhibits thorns or weeds, it means that you have a life that is not under the control of the Holy Spirit. A thriving Christian life is marked by fertile soil and abundant fruit and is the result of a life surrendered to Christ. God wants your life to produce fruit.