Tag Eyes

things we ought to PROTECT pt6: EYES

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“O Timothy! keep that which is committed to thy trust,” (1Tim 6:20).

We’ve been taking a closer look at the 7 things we ought to protect.

This next one is about protecting our eyes. Jesus said,

“But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart” (Matt 5:28). In the Old Testament, JOB said, “I made a covenant with mineeyes; why then should I think upon a maid” (Job 31:1)?

Theeyes are said to be windows to the soul. I’m not sure about that, but I do know that the things of the heart defile a person. “For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts…” (Mark 7:21-23).

Things enter our hearts through oureyes, and ears. So, let’s guard oureyes.

The EYES have it.

Pr 3:7 Be not wise in thine own EYES: fear the LORD, and depart from evil.

 Pr 3:21My son, let not them depart from thine EYES: keep sound wisdom and discretion:

 Pr 4:21 Let them not depart from thine EYES; keep them in the midst of thine heart.

 Pr 4:25 Let thine EYES look right on, and let thine EYELIDS look straight before thee.

 Pr 5:21 For the ways of man are before the EYES of the LORD, and he pondereth all his goings.

 Pr 6:4 Give not sleep to thine EYES, nor slumber to thine EYELIDS.

 Pr 6:13 He winketh with his EYES, he speaketh with his feet, he teacheth with his fingers;

 Pr 6:25 Lust not after her beauty in thine heart; neither let her take thee with her EYELIDS.

 Pr 7:2 Keep my commandments, and live; and my law as the apple of thine EYE.

 Pr 10:10 He that winketh with the EYE causeth sorrow: but a prating fool shall fall.

 Pr 10:26 As vinegar to the teeth, and as smoke to the EYES, so is the sluggard to them that send him.

 Pr 12:15 The way of a fool is right in his own EYES: but he that hearkeneth unto counsel is wise.

 Pr 15:3 The EYES of the LORD are in every place, beholding the evil and the good.

 Pr 15:30 he light of the EYES rejoiceth the heart: and a good report maketh the bones fat.

 Pr 16:2All the ways of a man are clean in his own EYES; but the LORD weigheth the spirits.

 Pr 16:30 He shutteth his EYES to devise froward things: moving his lips he bringeth evil to pass.

 Pr 17:8 A gift is as a precious stone in the EYES of him that hath it: whithersoever it turneth, it prospereth.

 Pr 17:24 Wisdom is before him that hath understanding; but the EYES of a fool are in the ends of the earth.

 Pr 20:8 A king that sitteth in the throne of judgment scattereth away all evil with his EYES.

 Pr 20:12 The hearing ear, and the seeing EYE, the LORD hath made even both of them.

 Pr 20:13 Love not sleep, lest thou come to poverty; open thine EYES, and thou shalt be satisfied with bread.

 Pr 21:2Every way of a man is right in his own EYES: but the LORD pondereth the hearts.

 Pr 21:10 The soul of the wicked desireth evil: his neighbour findeth no favour in his EYES.

 Pr 22:9 He that hath a bountiful EYE shall be blessed; for he giveth of his bread to the poor.

 Pr 22:12The EYES of the LORD preserve knowledge, and he overthroweth the words of the transgressor.

 Pr 23:5 Wilt thou set thine EYES upon that which is not? for riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away as an eagle toward heaven.

 Pr 23:6 Eat thou not the bread of him that hath an evil EYE, neither desire thou his dainty meats:

 Pr 23:26 My son, give me thine heart, and let thine EYES observe my ways.

 Pr 23:29 Who hath woe? who hath sorrow? who hath contentions? who hath babbling? who hath wounds without cause? who hath redness of EYES?

 Pr 23:33 Thine EYES shall behold strange women, and thine heart shall utter perverse things.

 Pr 25:7 For better it is that it be said unto thee, Come up hither; than that thou shouldest be put lower in the presence of the prince whom thine EYES have seen.

 Pr 27:20 Hell and destruction are never full; so the EYES of man are never satisfied.

 Pr 28:22 He that hasteth to be rich hath an evil EYE, and considereth not that poverty shall come upon him.

 Pr 28:27 He that giveth unto the poor shall not lack: but he that hideth his EYES shall have many a curse.

 Pr 29:13 The poor and the deceitful man meet together: the LORD lighteneth both their EYES.

 Pr 30:12 There is a generation that are pure in their own EYES, and yet is not washed from their filthiness.

 Pr 30:13 There is a generation, O how lofty are their EYES! and their  EYElids are lifted up.  Pr 30:17 The EYE that mocketh at his father, and despiseth to obey his mother, the ravens of the valley shall pick it out, and the young eagles shall eat it.

7 things we ought to PROTECT

The Preacher Leave a comment

“O Timothy! keep that which is committed to thy trust,” (1Tim 6:20).

Paul’s letter to Timothy focuses on the work of the young evangelist and his need to remain faithful to God and His word.

At the end of the letter is the command, “KEEP that which is committed to thy trust.” Another word for keep is to ‘guard.’ W.E. Vines defines this word as, to watch, i.e. be on guard (literally or figuratively); by implication, to preserve, obey, avoid: — beware, keep (self), observe, save.

Paul is primarily speaking about the word of God. By implication it would also include whatever else is commanded for us to protect.

This got me searching the scriptures for other things we should protect, keep, guard.

First, we are authorized by command and example to PRESERVE our PERSONAL life. While Paul was ready to die in Jerusalem (Acts 21:13), if it could be avoided without denying the faith, he was authorized to PRESERVE his life. Upon learning of a plot to kill him, Paul was able to thwart that plan (Acts 23:11-30). This led to him to continue to preach as far as Rome (Phil 1:21-26).

Second, we are commanded to use and not to waste our RESOURCES. An example of waste through disuse is with the 1 talent servant. “Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury” (Matt 25:24-30). In our passage, Paul told Timothy to command the rich, “that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy; That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate; Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life” (1Tim 6:17-19).

Third, we are commanded to care for our OLDER relatives who can no longer care for themselves. “But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel” (1Tim 5:8-16). Another example is found in the care of Naomi by her daughter-in-law Ruth.

Fourth, we are to protect our TIME in this life. “See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, Redeeming the time, because the days are evil” (Eph 5:15-16). TIME is fleeting and precious. “Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away” (Jas 4:14). We see this in the example of the urgency to be baptized of those that heard the gospel. “And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, straightway” (Acts 16:33). “And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized” (Acts 8:36; cf. Rom 13:11; 2Cor 6:2)?

Fifth, we are to make a covenant with our EYES to protect our heart. “I made a covenant with mine eyes” (Job 31:1). “Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life” (Prov 4:23; cf. Mt 12:34; Mar 7:21).

Sixth, we certainly must protect CHILDREN. Jesus Himself warned, “And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them, And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me. But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea” (Matt 18:2-6; cf. Mark 4:42-44). Yes, he was inclusive of protecting the child of God, but that only strengthens the point of protecting the innocent life.

Seventh, most important of all, we must protect our TREASURE in Heaven. We have guards, locks, and safes to protect our earthly treasure where “moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal” (Matt 6:19). This treasure is temporal and temporary and cannot help us in the judgment, but rather witness against us, “Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days” (James 5:3).

Jesus said, “But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Matt 6:19-20). We can take our treasure with us to heaven if we’ve laid one there. This is definitely included in the command to Timothy, “KEEP that which is committed to thy trust.”

Spencer is an evangelist for the Franklin and Juniper St church of Christ in Borger, Tx.

6 Point Spiritual Check-Up

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Point Spiritual Check Up.

The New Testament has more than a few passages about performing a Spiritual CHECK-UP to avoid becoming spiritually sick, or even dying spiritually.

“Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith;” 2Cor 13:5

“But let a man examine himself.” 1Cor 11:28

“For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep.” 1Co 11:30

Here are 6 areas from scripture that the Growing Christian CHECKS in their Spiritual life.

“Say AHH.” One of the first thing a doctor checks is your throat & mouth. Spiritually speaking, we are to check our own mouth and our CONVERSATIONS. We need check the words that we use with others.

“But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.”

[Jas 3:12; cf. Col 4:6]

Another thing he checks is you HEIGHT. Jesus refers to one’s height when discussing worry & anxiety. “Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? [Matt 6:27]

None of us can change our height by worry, neither can we change our situation with it. We are to be active in our seeking the kingdom of God and His righteousness. [cf. Eph 3:18]

The EYES will also be examined. How are the EYES of your understanding?

“The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,” [Eph 1:18; cf. 2Peter 1:9; 1John 2:9,11]

Our WEIGHT will also be measured. God WEIGHS us spiritually in His balance. [cf. Prov 16:2; cr. Dan 5:27; 1Sam 2:3; Job 31:6]

In another sense, weight is a metaphor for the COMPLICATIONS & Distractions of life.

“Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every WEIGHT, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,” [Heb 12:1]

Every check up includes a checking of the Heart. The Proverbs writer said,

“KEEP thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.” [Prov 4:23; emph mine seb. cf. Mt 12:34; Mr 7:21]

 We need to KEEP our hearts. We cannot KEEP it from God. “Lord, which knowest the hearts of all men,” [Acts 1:24]

Lastly, an examination will include taking our Temperature. Spiritually speaking, this is like checking our SPIRIT or our zeal.

“I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.” [Rev 3:15-16; cf. Titus 2:14; 3:8]

This article was written to help us take a tangible look at our spiritual lives. Our Eternal Lives are on the line. We must avoid becoming spiritually sick, or worse, spiritually dead!!

“For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep.” [1Cor 11:30]