Deuteronomy 28 / Luke 10:11:14-36 / Psalm 77 / Proverbs 12:18
Luke 11:33-36 “No one lights a lamp and then hides it or puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where its light can be seen by all who enter the house.”
“Your eye is like a lamp that provides light for your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is filled with light. But when it is unhealthy, your body is filled with darkness. Make sure that the light you think you have is not actually darkness. If you are filled with light, with no dark corners, then your whole life will be radiant, as though a floodlight were filling you with light.”
Let’s talk about these verses because I feel they are foundational to our Christian walk. To me, this passage speaks about truth and proper discernment. If your eye is a lamp for your body, the eye must be “clear” so that light/Truth can enter your understanding. The eye may speak of our worldview, which is based on the truth or Truth we’ve learned throughout our lives.
Lately the Lord has been speaking to me about having proper doctrine and interpreting scripture from that stance. In some circles, legalism skews the truth of scripture. God is teaching me to view scripture through the lens of love, grace and redemption. He’s teaching me it is not my job to judge the walk of others, but to judge my own walk and my own grasp of Truth.
I wonder what kinds of things might “cloud” our eye? Anger, judgment, unforgiveness, legalism and many others are likely suspects. Imagine this – you have a big picture window in your great room area, and it’s the beginning of spring with all the trees and flowers blooming just outside. The bad news is your picture window is covered with mud and dirt from a recent hurricane and you can’t see anything clearly.
Not only can you not see the view, you’re disgusted by the nasty, streaked dirt all over your beautiful window. It will probably take you a good hour or two to scrape, clean and put final touches on that window so you can see the beautiful view, but it will be worth the effort for the rewards you’ll gain.
What might it look like to clear the view of our eyes? I think it would involve repentance, forgiveness and taking proper inventory of our own heart. We would have to remove the “log from our own eye before removing the speck from our sister’s eye.”
Mind your own heart – mind our space – mind your own eyes. THEN take time to help, support and love your brothers and sisters.
