Meekness Changes How You View Your World
“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)
The above verses are kind of ironic, and also a bit sad,
if you think about it. Jesus – the light of the world – is telling his
disciples, whom he declared to be light as well, to be careful of inner
darkness. You would think that with Jesus as their light, along with the
light that they shine for one another, they would have enough light to dispel
any darkness that might be lurking in the shadows.
Apparently
there is a real danger here, though, as Jesus warns us that if the light within
us is darkness, then that darkness will be great and overwhelming regardless of
the light shining upon us from the outside. It is like a blind man who is in
the center of a spotlight but still can’t see. The light is there on the
outside, but he still can’t see.
Anyone
who has been in despair and without hope knows what I mean – life circumstances
and sorrow can overwhelm us and close the eyes of our heart so that we cannot
see the light of Christ and the hope He offers.
And
in like manner anyone who has been blinded by worldly ambition and the pursuit
of money, power, and success can attest to the darkness that can overtake a
person living in that realm.
And
let’s not leave out the people blinded by rage – an anger so white-hot that it
is like a branding iron poked into their spiritual eyes, leaving them consumed
with hatred and thoughts of revenge.
I
could go on and on – those blinded by envy and always wanting to be someone
else, others blinded by lust that never seems to be satisfied, and those blinded by greed and can never seem to have enough – the list of issues that blind us is long and
depressing.
But
thanks be to God there is an antidote and a solution. The antidote is Jesus,
who came to open the eyes of the blind, and the ongoing solution is meekness.
Jesus
is the antidote and if you haven’t done so yet you need to give your life to
Him and ask Him to open your spiritual eyes. He says to us today, "I am the light of
the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the
light of life…no one who believes in me should stay in darkness." (John 8:12, 12:46)
Once
we have made that commitment to Him and have asked Him to open our spiritual
eyes, the ongoing solution to keep the inner darkness at bay is meekness –
spending quality and quantity time with God so that we have an inner strength
and a trust in Him that manifests itself in gentleness towards others and a
humble heart towards Him.
For
it is that trust in Him that will dispel the darkness of despair. It is that
inner strength and ability to wait upon Him that will keep you from the
blinding rage. It is contentment and joy in Him that will keep covetousness,
envy, and lust far away from you.
It
is relationship with God – His opening our eyes – and ongoing meekness on our
part that keeps our spiritual eyes open and allows us to see situations
clearly, as He would have us to see them. It is like putting on new eyeglasses on for the first time or taking off your sunglasses after you walk into a dark room – suddenly you
can see things in a whole new way.
When
your spiritual eyes are opened, the angry person who is yelling at you is no
longer your enemy but is instead someone who needs God. With God’s help you
realize that the temptress who is calling out to you for love and affection
doesn’t need physical love but instead needs God’s love. The boss who is never
satisfied with your work doesn’t need a piece of your mind but instead needs
the peace that only contentment in Christ can bring. And as for that bully who
insults you or even injures you, when you see him through God’s eyes you
realize that he is just another hurting person just like you. He needs to be
saved just like you were.
For
the person that is truly meek realizes that “if it were not for the grace of
God there go I.” The truly meek person who has that inner strength, that trust
in God, that gentleness and humility, will realize that if it weren’t for God’s
intervention on the cross and in his or her life, then they would be in the
same boat as the person who is full of anger, jealousy, insecurity, greed,
covetousness, or whatever it is that is making that person treat you badly.
Looking
at life with your spiritual eyes wide open, illuminated by the light of Christ
in your life, makes all the difference in how you interpret and respond to the
situations that life brings your way. Don’t stumble around in the darkness,
full of envy, anger, unforgiveness, greed, lust, hatred, and all the rest. For
if the light within you is darkness, how great will that darkness be!
Instead,
open your heart to Christ and open your spiritual eyes to see people and the
world in a whole new way. God will lead you in new and exciting ways, and give
you insight and comprehension that you never knew was possible. Your joy and
peace will abound as the light presses out the darkness in every part of your
personality and daily life.
Pray with me: Lord, I open my
heart and my mind to you today. Open my spiritual eyes, so that I can see
people and situations as you see them. Help me to not condemn people or write
them off as a lost cause. Help me to forgive them and be gentle with them. Let
them see you in me. I pray especially for these people who come to
mind…continue praying as you are led…
For further study, meditate on these Scriptures:
2 Cor 4:3-6 The god of this age has blinded the minds of
unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of
Christ, who is the image of God. For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus
Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake. For God, who
said, "Let light shine out of darkness," made his light shine in our
hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of
Christ. (NIV)
1 John 1:5-7 This is the message we have heard from him and
declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim
to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by
the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have
fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from
all sin. (NIV)
Eph 5:8-11 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in
the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all
goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord. Have
nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. (NIV)
Please use this blog for
personal devotional use and feel free to share it with friends and family.
However, all publishing rights are reserved. No reproduction or publication of
this blog is permitted without the permission of the author, Pastor Randy
Brockett of New Song
Foursquare Church
in Colorado Springs , Colorado
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