From: Ben Kelley
Subject: Taking a few looks, part 1
That oft quoted phrase, "a picture is worth a
thousand words", might be an exaggeration in a number of cases,
but it brings a truth to light. What we see often quickly conveys to our
minds all kinds of things that would take a lot of words and time to express if someone
told it all to us. God has made our eye/mind combination very effective,
so when God's Word tells us to look at something, HE is
wanting us to use that combination to gather information, to learn something for
our edification, encouragement, or exhortation. Those are the
three "e's" from what I call this website, so naturally, I would like to
look at a few uses of this word in Scripture.
While we look not at the things
which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are
seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal. (2
Corinthians 4:18 (KJV) Our eyes are naturally caught by the things around
us, the temporary, finite things of this world. We automatically turn our
eyes that way, thinking the physical world around us is most important, but
God's Word teaches us all those things are very temporary (temporal), but the
spiritual world and all it contains lasts forever. Though our physical
eyes are incapable, we are told to use our spiritual sight to look at
the things of eternity, "seeing" them through the eyes of
faith!
Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the
things of others. (Philippians 2:4 (KJV) My wife, like most people, is
concerned about what others think of her. When I see that bothering her, I
usually repeat something I've told her many times, namely, "most people are too
busy thinking of themselves to pay much attention to you!" These attitudes
of selfishness and introspection are just what Paul spoke against in the 2nd
chapter of Philippians. There, he taught us that focusing on others
and their problems, needs, and interests is much better than focusing on our
selves. He even gave us the example of Jesus; Who had every
right to claim His equality with the Father and avoid the cross, but instead of
claiming His rights, gave them up and subjected Himself to that
terrible suffering, for our sakes, and not His own. We tend to
think getting our own way will make us happy, but it won't. Thinking of
other people more highly than ourselves is really the best way. Remember this
rendering of the word, "joy."
Jesus first
Others
second
Yourself
last
I think that depicts what Paul, through the
inspiration of the Holy Spirit, is trying to teach us in Philippians 2.
Memorize it and try to put it into practise. You'll enjoy life more
fully!
Let us keep our spiritual eyes open,
always Looking unto Jesus the author
and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the
cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of
God. For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners
against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds. (Hebrews
12:2-3 (KJV) Keep your spiritual eyes, the eyes of faith in and on God, open as you go through this physical world.
Ben