Good morning,
God has given us eyes to see. Unfortunately, from the very beginning, our eyes betrayed us. God also gave us eyes to see His beauty, to be enlightened, and as a light. Consider your eyes.
1) Temptation of the eyes
Genesis 3:5 For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.
Genesis 3:7 And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.
Genesis 13:10-11 And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere, before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, even as the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt, as thou comest unto Zoar. 11 Then Lot chose him all the plain of Jordan; and Lot journeyed east: and they separated themselves the one from the other.
Matthew 5:28 But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.
Matthew 6:23 But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!
2) Keeping your eyes from evil
Psalm 101:3 I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes: I hate the work of them that turn aside; it shall not cleave to me.
Job 31:1 I made a covenant with mine eyes; why then should I think upon a maid?
Psalm 17:8 Keep me as the apple of the eye, hide me under the shadow of thy wings,
Psalm 19:8 The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes.
Luke 11:34 The light of the body is the eye: therefore when thine eye is single, thy whole body also is full of light; but when thine eye is evil, thy body also is full of darkness.
3) Conquering our eye problem
Ephesians 1:18 The eyes of your understanding being 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,
Galatians 5:16 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.
Colossians 3:23-24 And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; 24 Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.
The children’s song, “Oh, be careful little eyes, what you see, Oh, be careful little eyes, what you see,
For the Father up above, is looking down in love, Oh be careful little eyes what you see.”, is great advice for us as adults. Our world is filled with filth, wickedness, and depravity, which we should not be watching.
I believe Hebrews 12:2 sums this up nicely. Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001