Incline my heart unto thy testimonies, and not to covetousness. Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity; and quicken thou me in thy way. (Psa 119:36-37)
As wondrous as creation is, nothing is more remarkable than the human body. Our ability to process things by our senses is truly amazing, however, we must use them carefully.
Be careful how we see. Don’t allow the things we see to draw us away from God. Oftentimes, actions are determined by what we see, both good and bad. For example, Moses turning aside to see the burning bush (Ex. 3:3). And as we all know, his life was changed forever. On the other hand, when we go after things we should not, life can be destroyed. Achan, the Isrealite, lost his life and even brought about death and defeat to his people by looking on and coveting things he should not have (Joshua chapter 7). It’s best in many cases, if we see something we shouldn’t, to turn ourselves away. Many times the worldly things we look at offer no value to the life of a child of God (1 John 2:16).
Let’s be careful of how we look. I know that there are times that I have seen things that I would prefer not to but I don’t have to continue looking. I alone have the power to look away and have the heart of a Christian as I observe the world around me (Psalm 119:37).
The intentions that we look with are vital to our spiritual well being. If I have ungodly thoughts, I will turn my eyes into conductors of sin. Matthew 5:28 says, “But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.”
We should also address why we are looking to begin with. We are warned not to be overly concerned in others’ matters (1 Tim 5:13). Also, if I pay too much attention to others, I will forget to focus on myself and make certain I’m doing what I need to do to be right in the eyes of God.
As adults, we can take to heart the words of the children’s song “Oh be careful little eyes what you see…”. The lesson behind the song is not for children only but adults as well.
Let us then be looking to the things that will draw us closer to God, whether it be the beauty of the creation (Psalm 19:1), spending time focused on those close to us (Eph 5:22-25; Prov 1:8-9), or most importantly, devotion to His Word (2 Cor. 6:9).
Jason Barger