I heard the story about a man that had trouble plowing a straight row. His friend told him to find an object at the end of the row to fix his eyes on and aim at that. His friend returned later to find his row more crooked than ever. He said, “I told you to fix your eyes on an object.” He replied, “I did, that cow over there.”
Just like the man in the story we too will go toward what we’re looking at. ‘A man that ploughs a field must continue to look in front of him’, replied Jesus. ‘If he looks behind him, he cannot plough well. You are like a man that wants to look behind him. People like that cannot show other people how God really rules’(Luke 9:62 Easy English).
You see we’re supposed to be moving forward toward Jesus continually. If we are not looking towards Jesus then we will walk a crooked path. We are supposed to make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed (Hebrews 12:13 KJV). Well how do we make straight paths? Pay attention to where you’re looking.
Matthew 6:19-24 ISV
19 “Stop storing up treasures for yourselves on earth, where moths and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal.
20 But keep on storing up treasures for yourselves in heaven, where moths and rust do not destroy and where thieves do not break in and steal,
21 because where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
22 “The eye is the lamp of the body. So if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light.
23 But if your eye is evil, your whole body will be full of darkness. Therefore, if the light within you has turned into darkness, how great is that darkness!”
24 “No one can serve two masters, because either he will hate one and love the other, or be loyal to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and riches!”
These seem like different subjects at first. If you pay close attention though, the first verse is talking about treasure and the last verse is talking about riches. So they all tie together, but how? Riches and treasure are things that please you. Then it throws in all this about the eye. Well the eye is what we use to focus on things with. If you are focused on what pleases you and your flesh then your eye is focused on that. We cannot place our focus on what pleases us, but must focus on what pleases Jesus.
It is the enemy’s goal to steal your focus. The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy…(John 10:10 KJV). If the enemy can steal your focus, then he can control your direction. If he can control your direction then he can lead you into a trap and kill your vision. If he can steal your vision, he can destroy you. Be careful—watch out for attacks from Satan, your great enemy. He prowls around like a hungry, roaring lion, looking for some victim to tear apart (1 Peter 5:8 TLB).
This means that it’s very important what we look at. Obviously we shouldn’t be looking at sinful things. We also can’t spend all day pleasing our desires looking at what entertains and think it has no effect on us. We can’t spend hours on end scrolling through social media and binge watch videos unaffected. We are feeding our souls and setting our direction by what we look at. This is why it says in Proverbs 4:25-27 ISV 25 Let your eyes look directly ahead; fix your gaze straight in front of you. 26 Carefully measure the paths for your feet, and all your ways will be established. 27 Do not turn to the right or to the left; turn your foot away from evil.
Instead let’s focus on Jesus. Look to the Word of God. Whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed (James 1:25 KJV).
Let’s not be distracted, but pay attention to what we’re looking at.
Hebrews 12:2 NLV
Let us keep looking to Jesus. Our faith comes from Him and He is the One Who makes it perfect. He did not give up when He had to suffer shame and die on a cross. He knew of the joy that would be His later. Now He is sitting at the right side of God.