What Are You Gazing On?

There is such an onslaught of imagery that bombards our field of vision each and every day from the news, social media, television, magazine covers, Pinterest, and internet searching.

We truly are a society where information and messages stream across our field of view continuously throughout our day unless we step out of the stream of traffic.

The human eye was made to behold beauty and wonder in the world around us in order that we would  turn and worship God for all He is and all He has done.

The enemy wants nothing more than to disrupt this worship and as the god of this age, he accomplishes his task by giving us a cornucopia of things to look at, that then distract us from worshiping and cause us to contemplate lesser glories.

One thing I ask from the LORD, that will I seek after: 

that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, 

to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to inquire in his temple.  

To gaze upon here means: to see, behold with the intelligence, experience, mentally to perceive, and contemplate.

The Gesenius' Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon states;

"to behold the face of God is used metaphorically for- to enjoy His favor, to know Him as propitious, to look upon, contemplate especially with pleasure, to delight in the sight of something"

So often we are looking upon things and contemplating them even with pleasure and delight however, we can quickly become lost and ultimately distracted from the all beautiful, all glorious God who pours out His favor and delight upon us.

Our eye gates must be tended to in this age of information otherwise we quickly succumb to the worship and admiration of lesser glories.

Jesus tells us in Matthew 6:22-23;

"The eye is the lamp of the body.  

So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, 

but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. 

 If then the light in you is darkness, 

how great is the darkness!

He is clearly teaching us here that what we gaze upon has an effect on our spiritual health.  What we contemplate and meditate upon can cause our hearts to be illuminated or darkened.

Galatians 5:16-17

 I say, walk by the Spirit, 

and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.  

For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit and 

the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, 

for these are opposed to each other, 

to keep you from doing the things you want to do.  

So often, we just walk out our lives doing what we 'want' to do, not realizing that in this way we are walking in the flesh.  God has given us His Spirit in order that we might walk out our days by His power, doing what pleases the Lord and not ourselves.

But each person is tempted when 

he is lured and enticed by his own desire.  

Then desire when it is conceived gives birth to sin, 

and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.  James 1:14-15

When we are enticed to waste our time on lesser pleasures and gaze on things that distract us from the glory of God, we fall prey to the enemy's attempt to get us to worship at the alter of the world and all its desires.

For all that is in the world --- 

the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes 

and pride of life --- 

is not from the Father but is from the world.  

And the world is passing away along with its desires, 

but whoever does the will of God abides forever.  

Father, help us to direct our gaze upon the beauty of who You are so that we will worship and honor You with our time.  We lift up our eyes to You today, fill us with the glory of Your wonder and majesty and captivate our hearts in a way that we would lay down other lovers and gaze on the wonders for Christ!

Lift up your heads, O gates!

And be lifted up, O ancient doors,

that the King of glory may come in.  

Who is this King of glory?

The LORD, mighty in battle!

Lift up your heads, O gates!

And lift them up, O ancient doors, 

that the King of glory may come in.  

Who is this King of glory?

The LORD of hosts, (Adonai Tseva'ot)

he is the King of glory!