Eyes that See

In teaching about the relationship of a Kingdom person to money and possessions, Jesus says, “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!” (Matthew 6:22-23).

        How are your eyes? How do you see life? Is it (A) about doing well financially, saving for your dreams and then getting to a comfortable place where you can buy what you want and travel where you want to go?  On the other hand, maybe you look at life and (B) you see the supremacy of family and friends. You believe that relationships are what matter and make your decisions accordingly. Or maybe you have chosen (C) a mixture of A and B.

        Any of these choices would put you in the human mainstream and a little shockingly, in the group who Jesus says have eyes that are bad. You would surely feel your vision is clear, but Jesus says your eyes are not as right as you think.

        What life is really for is seeking the rule and reign of God. It is about lining yourself up with what he created us for. Now, he is not against possessions, although they can be as dangerous as they are temporary. And he certainly is for relationships as long as we understand they cannot be put before our loyalty to him. But our eyes are never good and our bodies are not full of light unless we are praying, “Your kingdom come; your will be done” in all aspects of our lives.

Matthew 6:19-33

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

22"The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. 23But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!

24"No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.

25"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 26Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?

28"And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 32For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

Running from the Bus

This last week as I was driving home from a meeting, I turned into my neighborhood and found myself behind a school bus bringing home elementary school kids who all looked to be from six to nine years old. As each little boy or girl got off the bus with their heavy coats and backpacks, they all did the same thing: they ran to their front door like they were dashing for Olympic gold. I could only guess what was in their little minds.

Was there an afternoon snack awaiting them? Was there a TV show that was about to start at 3:30? Or could they just not wait to run into the arms of a mom or dad who would assure them they were safe after a hard day out in the tough old world? I decided to vote for the latter and let it remind me of something good we all need to do.

And then my mind rewound to 1968. I was seriously seeking Jesus, but there weren’t many new translations of the Bible. Most people still used the King James version. But the American Bible Society published something called Good News for Modern Man that became popular with students. It translated Galatians 3:24 like this: “the law was a school bus to bring us to Christ.” (If you look into it, you will find that wasn’t such a bad translation.)

Somehow, in the funny way a mind can work—the school bus, the little kids, their dashing to the houses, and my memory of Galatians 3—all led to the image of Christ meeting us at the door to throw his arms around us, to hold us and love us.

I smiled.

That may not be great exegesis, but it does describe something that is true.

Focus Scripture

John 14:23

    Jesus replied, "If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.

   

   

Soar, Run, Walk

The last four verses of Isaiah 40 may be some of the most encouraging in the Old Testament, but in the last verse we have a surprising order. Speaking of those who put their hope in God and thus will renew their strength, Isaiah says they will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”

John Ortberg in his book To Walk on Water, You Have to Get Out of the Boat, points out that there we times in our spiritual lives when we, like the eagles, seem to catch that column of warm rising air and just soar. We feel the Spirit of God as the wind beneath our wings and it is good.

However, there are other times when we are moving forward and doing well. We are running, but unlike soaring, running takes effort, exertion and stamina, but with God at our back we do move on without growing weary.

But there are also those times when we look at others who are soaring and we can remember those days, but we wonder what happened to us. We look at those that are running and it seems impossible. About all we can do is just keep walking. And we aren’t even sure about that.

The lesson here is let’s not compare ourselves to others If you are soaring don’t be judgmental of those who are walking. Your day for that will probably come. If you are running don’t berate yourself because you aren’t soaring. If you have slowed to a walk, keep waiting on the Lord, let his power help you not to faint and keep own walking. As my physical therapist tells me as I deal with my MS. Keep on walking even it you have to use a walker.

Isaiah 40:28-31

Why do you say, O Jacob,

and complain, O Israel,

"My way is hidden from the Lord;

my cause is disregarded by my God"?

28Do you not know?

Have you not heard?

The Lord is the everlasting God,

the Creator of the ends of the earth.

He will not grow tired or weary,

and his understanding no one can fathom.

29He gives strength to the weary

and increases the power of the weak.

30Even youths grow tired and weary,

and young men stumble and fall;

31but those who hope in the Lord

will renew their strength.

They will soar on wings like eagles;

What Can We Handle?

Life is much like a plane ride. There are times when the travel is smooth and we function with ease. But there are also times of turbulence when the captain turns on the “Fasten Seat Belts” sign. If you are flying and the turbulence last more than  about five or ten minutes, you can feel the anxiety levels going up all around you. In real life those times often last a whole lot longer.

We are hit with one thing after another, knocking us this way and that way. Perhaps we take the first few jolts in stride and then the next group with gritty determination. But if the turbulence continues beyond what we feel is some reasonable time, we begin to think, “This is too much,” or “I’m about at my limit,” and eventually we may get to, “I can’t handle this.”

 It might be in a marriage. It might be on the job. In might be in the work of the ministry or in discipling relationships. It might be with health problems. But inside many of us have some kind of meter that indicates how much we can take and how much goes beyond the pale, and once the line is crossed, the alarm goes off and we are ready to bail out.

It is surely true that any of us can over-commit and have to back up and let go of some things, but I am talking here about an attitude toward what life brings us and how we often set ourselves up to judge how much is too much. 

But, which thought should rule us: “I can’t handle this” or “I can do all things through him who gives me strength”?

 Focus Scriptures

   

Philip. 4:13  NAS

    I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.

1 Cor. 10:13

    No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, that you may be able to endure it.