THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 9
“The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!”
Matthew 6: 22-23 ESV
CHASING MORE: CLEAR VISION
There’s an old legend about three men who were crossing a desert on horseback at night. As they approached a dry creek bed, they heard a voice commanding them to dismount, pick up some pebbles, put them in their pockets, and not look at them till the next morning. The men were promised that if they obeyed they would be both glad and sad. After they did as they were told, the three mounted their horses and went on their way.
As the first streaks of dawn began to spread across the sky, the men reached into their pockets to pull out the pebbles. To their great surprise, they had been transformed into diamonds, rubies, and other precious gems. It was then that they realized the significance of the promise that they would be both glad and sad. They were happy that they had picked up as many pebbles as they did, but sorry—so sorry—that they had not collected more.
God wants us to clearly see the things in life that have genuine and lasting value. As Jesus continued a discussion on chasing after worldly treasures in Matthew 6, He taught that misplaced affections on material possessions could blur our vision. When, therefore, the heart is filled with thoughts of its earthly riches, it becomes gross and insensible to the spiritual and eternal realm. Things of God fade from the vision, the love of God declines from the heart, the soul is no longer single in its purpose.
If you see an optometrist with blurry vision he will do his best to try and correct your vision. Sometimes that means corrective lenses and sometimes that can mean eye surgery. If you are realizing that you have not been focusing clearly on the things that matter the most in life, ask God to do what it takes to correct your vision. Ask God to help you see people and things today the way He sees them.
