Luke 11:35 - Seeing Clearly.
Luke 11:35 (NIV) See to it, then, that the
light within you is not darkness.
Luke 11:35 (CWR) So be careful. If you
continually look for evil, you'll soon find your heart
full of darkness.
INTRODUCTION
Light and darkness are metaphors for good
and evil (John 1:5; 3:19; 8:12; 12:35; Acts
26:18; Rom 13:12; 2 Cor 4:6; 6:14; Eph 5:8; 1 Thes
5:5; 1 Pet 2:9; 1 Jn 1:5; 2:8"9). [NLT SB 2008]
Lamp. Represents the word of God embodied in
Jesus life and teachings (8:16; cf. 8:11). The
hearers are responsible to properly respond to the
light Healthy eyes allow light to shine into
the body and cast out darkness because
through the witness of Christs words and deeds,
light enters a person. In the same way, people
must open their hearts and allow the word of God
to cast out the darkness within them. [NIV SB
2015]
An eye that is healthy describes a
spiritually healthy way of looking at things. A bad eye,
or evil way of looking at things, results in a
life full of moral and spiritual darkness When
a person is filled with the light of Christ,
it will affect his or her whole being (wholly
bright). [ESV SB 2008]
COMMENTARY
Switching On The Light
Jesus is the light and we need his
guidance. If your life seems pointless and without
direction, empty and without love, boring and without
purpose, common and without creativity, dull and
without challenge, or transient and without hope . .
.
Then switch on the light, God's Word. It
will direct you toward a wonderful goal, it is
full of love for you, it suggests lots of
important work to challenge your gifts and talents,
and it points to eternal life -- God's generous
promise to you. (The Life Application Commentary)
When Jesus speaks here about our eyes, he
isn't talking about physical eyesight, whether we
need contact lenses or cataract surgery. He's
talking about the eyes of our minds, what we focus
on. For each one of us, our minds create a pair
of glasses through which we see the world. If
those glasses are good, then we see things
clearly. If they're bad, we see everything in a
distorted way. So in order to have a healthy life, we
need to attend to the direction of our thoughts.
Where do our minds go automatically?
Pastor Rick Warren says, "The battle
starts not in your belly; it starts in your brain."
Throughout the day, pay attention to where your mind
goes. When you think about food or fitness or the
goals you're setting for your life, how do you
think about them? Do you see them through a
negative filter, or do you have eyes that help you
see things as they really are?
If the eyes of your mind are healthy,
your whole being will be full of light, and
you'll be able to see everything clearly. [The
Daniel Plan 365-Day Devotional]
ILLUSTRATION
The most effective place to deal with sin
is at the "eye" stage. That may mean the actual
seeing of evil with the physical eye, or seeing it
in imagination with the mental eye. "The best
place to kill a cobra, runs an old Indian
proverb, is in its egg.
Most sin follows on from a failure to
kill it at the place of desire - the "eye."
Matthew 6:22 says, "The eye is the lamp of the body.
If your eye is good, your whole body will be
full of light. When an evil thought comes, try
blinking your eyes very rapidly and you will discover
that the thought is broken up. It is a voluntary
act demanding the attention of the will, and
thus draws attention away from the evil thought.
Add to this action the simple prayer that Peter
prayed when he was about to sink into the waters of
the Sea of Galilee: "Lord, save me!"
Another thing you can do when a sinful
thought or desire invades your mind is to change
whatever you are doing in order to focus your
attention elsewhere. An old Welsh miner I knew told me
many years ago that when he was a young man, he
was out walking one day and was attacked with an
evil thought. He deliberately picked up a heavy
stone and carried it back home. The attention
necessary to carry the load made him forget the
thought.
These ideas may not work for everyone,
but they have certainly worked for some. Another
way to deal with an evil thought or desire is to
focus your attention on a mental picture of Christ
on the cross. It is hard to think of evil and
Him at the same time. They are
incompatibilities.
O Lord, help me to out maneuver any
sinful thoughts that come into my mind. Give me the
kind of mind in which You can be at home. This I
ask in Jesus peerless and precious name.
Amen. [Every Day With Jesus Bible with Selwyn
Hughes devotional re Proverbs 9:10]
CLOSING THOUGHT
Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I
am the light of the world: he that followeth me
shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the
light of life. John 8:12 (KJV)
LINK FOR FURTHER STUDY ON THIS PASSAGE
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2015/20150406-1202.html
YOUR COMMENTS
If anyone has a paraphrase, commentary or
testimony on this passage of Scripture, either
personal or otherwise, I would be interested in
hearing from you. Thanks in advance and let's keep
uplifting Jesus that all might be drawn to Him. Fred
Gibbs
LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT
Most Important Decision in Life:
http://www.youtube.com/embed/WGnEuGwvXqU?rel=0
A Man without Equal by Bill Bright:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiVa7UoruIo
Importance of Choice:
http://creationhealth.com/CREATION-Health/Choice [click on video]
Seeking God Made Real:
http://vimeo.com/31489782
Prayer Made Real:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tc8VdMV26VE
Medical Seminar on Healthful Living by David
DeRose, MD, MPH:
https://www.smartlifestyletv.com/lifestart
LINKS FOR BIBLE STUDIES
Amazing Facts Bible Studies:
http://www.amazingfacts.org/bible-study/bible-study-guides.aspx
Glow Tract Video Bible Studies:
http://www.bibleresearch.info/
ABible.com: http://www.aBible.com
LINKS FOR BIBLE PROPHECY SEMINARS
The Last Day of Prophecy by Pastor Doug
Batchelor:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLmGvdtMCf1aJTiC59-lPtuUMEq_uEn0BK
Restoring The Power by Pastor John Bradshaw:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLRogO1SxoZN15Boa7BMon4BouVMdteVaq
Prophecies Decoded by Pastor Ron Clouzet:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1A435C5373550657
28 Revelations Of Jesus by Pastors Ivan
Blake and James Reynaert:
1st of 28: Divine Dining:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_7j1QIKqmY
2nd of 28: Pictures of the Divine:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3lNI-OQ7-eQ
3rd of 28: A Dirty Bible:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZMkPvBuuFd4
4th of 28: Cared For:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ztXyJVdcCds
5th of 28: Salvation:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HX45kGRe1HI
6th of 28: You Can Change:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xd0gkvK18fo
7th of 28: Reprogramming Our Brains:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ov36f_RapXc
8th of 28: Our Holy Father:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XabXLEXsxbY
9th of 28: Gifts of Service:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HtuGZviodkA
10th of 28: The Holy Spirit:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=in89XVs4cGo
11th of 28: The Law of God:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_Q601HjogI
12th of 28: The Sabbath:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sakgnKoTzZI
13th of 28: The Church:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fkFw2XsTW-w
14th of 28: The Gift of Prophecy:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TiO2VC09NPI
15th of 28: Stewardship:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3z_lNLAataw
16th of 28: Marriage and the Family:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EybxvMQ0K7E
17th of 28: The Remnant and Its Mission:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oK6tix2K2qA
18th of 28: Christian Behavior:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ecVGsQfAo7Q
19th of 28: God The Son:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AgfbTdh3_l0
20th of 28: Baptism:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lsW163qoAic
Live ongoing series in progress.
