S = Luke 11:24-26 “When the unclean spirit has gone out
of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, and finding none
it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when it comes, it
finds the house swept and put in order. Then it goes and brings seven other
spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there. And the last
state of that person is worse than the first.”
O = his passage potentially teaches us a number of things
about demons—but I doubt that is the point. Rather it teaches us about
ourselves and the danger of emptiness. We are to be inhabited, like the land
that God made in Genesis 1-2. But who is the one who inhabits? Who swept the
house and put all things in order? Jesus is the One…so why does he not live in
the house? Because they reject him, test him, demonize him, and overestimate
their own ability to protect their own “house.”
A = Who will I allow to live in me? Will my spiritual eye be
good? Will I put the Light of Christ on the stand in my life or will I be empty
and dark until I am no longer empty…but darker than I could have ever imagined?
Will I respond to Jesus—hearing and keeping his word? If so then I am blessed,
filled with light! Will I repent at his teaching? Yes I will. I repent of the
inner darkness and outward violence like the Ninevites. Yes I seek the wisdom
he gives like the Queen of the South sought long ago. Yes I need Jesus to sweep
out my life and put things, relationships, and priorities in order. But even more
I welcome him to drive out the darkness and fill me with the enduring light that
can reach out to help and encourage others. I invite Jesus to remain, to dwell
in me by the Holy Spirit, that I might never be the den of demons that, left to
myself, I would surely become.
P = O Lord, invade my life this week with the light and
loving power of the kingdom of God. Make my eye good to see and appreciate your
light, your truth, your holiness, your wisdom, and your love for me. May I not
be able to hide your presence in my life today. Amen.
From Pastor Mark
ReplyDeleteSelf-Revealing or Self-Deceiving?
S= 34-36 “Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is full of light, but when it is bad, your body is full of darkness. Therefore be careful lest the light in you be darkness. If then your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, it will be wholly bright, as when a lamp with its rays gives you light."
O= My eyes are passive, aren't they? They produce no light? They only receive light and are completely at the mercy of the images that surround them. Of course, when they are open, they do see. And what they see lights the body in understanding the environment around it. More than hearing or feeling, seeing is a long distance thing.
But the eye is really not passive. It is controlled by the heart. Eyes gaze. Eyes are the two-way gateways of desires. We desire, so we look around to fix our gaze on something for we desire. And similarly, we see something, an object of desire, and we respond by gazing. There really is a lot of choosing involved in seeing. And there is a lot of revealing in how we respond to what we see.
34 Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is full of light…
A healthy eye is a Spiritual eye. It wants to see what God sees. It wants to react to the world around it as God would have it react.
but when it is bad, your body is full of darkness.
But a bad eye is looking at the world from a godless perspective. It reacts to what it sees like an animal - whatever serves itself.
35 Therefore be careful lest the light in you be darkness.
We claim Jesus. We hang around church. We listen to Christian songs in our cars. We tithe. We send our kids to Christian Schools and we stay away from alcohol and R-rates movies. Everything is right and in order.
But can we say we see the world God sees? The Pharisees were accused of the same things and yet of missing the weightier matters of the Law; justice and the love of God.
How sure are we of our alignment with God regarding what is around us? Simple question... does our heart burn for God's lost children? If not, why not? This is the Father's heart. The Son of Man came to seek and save the lost and He invites His people into His labor. So, in light of that truth, is my eye dark or light? Has the enemy set up house in my swept abode? Or am I free in Christ to enter into His work? Am I filled with the Holy Spirit?
36 If then your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, it will be wholly bright, as when a lamp with its rays gives you light."
Lord, let me see as you see and lead me into your field of labor. Amen.