Today’s Scripture
My son, give attention to my words; incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them depart from your eyes; k eep them in the midst of your heart; for they are life to those who find them, and health to all their flesh. — Proverbs 4:20–22
I WAS WATCHING a popular program on television with the host of that program interviewing some experts about the economy in America. One “expert” was very positive and gave his reasons for being so upbeat. Then, another “expert” interjected and gave his reasons for a bleak economic outlook. I watched this program for over an hour and none of these “experts” agreed on anything in the end.
The more we hear and see Jesus, the healthier and stronger we become! Our mortal bodies become infused with His resurrection life and power!
The thing about such discussions, be it on television, the papers or the Internet, is that it’s supposed to present two sides — one good and the other bad. No real solution or resolution is actually offered.
Sometime after watching that program, I shared with my pastoral team that I realized that I had unknowingly been feeding on the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. That’s all I got from watching such programs — more knowledge of what was good and what was evil, but this knowledge did nothing for me.
On the other hand, when we feed on the person of Jesus, who is the tree of life, we find that His wisdom, understanding, peace, joy and unmerited favor will flow in our lives! Again, I am not saying that you should not watch the news. I am just saying that it is important for you to watch your viewing diet. It is far more powerful to be full of Jesus than to be full of worldly knowledge.
I always encourage my church to be mindful of their eye-and ear-gates. Essentially, this means that we need to be conscious of what we watch and hear on a regular basis. The Book of Proverbs, which is chock-full of God’s wisdom, tells us, “My son , give attention to my words; incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them depart from your eyes; keep them in the midst of your heart; for they are life to those who find them, and health to all their flesh.”
God tells us to guard what we hear, what we see and what is in our hearts. He wants us to have our ears full of the gracious words of Jesus, our eyes full of the presence of Jesus and our hearts meditating on what we have heard and seen in Jesus. That’s what “give attention to my words” means today in the new covenant, for Jesus is God’s Word made flesh.
John 1:14 says, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace [unmerited favor] and truth.”
It is all about beholding Jesus, and as we behold Him, we are transformed more and more into His likeness, full of unmerited favor and truth! Don’t miss this powerful promise, my friend. The result of tuning our ear-and eye-gates to Jesus is that He will be life and health to us. The Bible shows us that there is a direct correlation between hearing and seeing Jesus, and the health of our physical bodies. The more we hear and see Jesus, the healthier and stronger we become! Our mortal bodies become infused with His resurrection life and power!
If we are constantly feeding on the news media, it is no wonder that we feel weak and tired. There is just no nourishment for us there. Please hear what I am saying. It is all right to keep yourself abreast of current world events and be in the know about what is happening in the Middle East, trends in the economy and developments in the political arena.
Such information may even be necessary for the industry that you are in. I am not asking you to become an ignoramus or to live in a cave. What I am saying is this: Know what is good for the wholeness of your body and mind. Be wise — don’t overdose yourself on information and knowledge that does not infuse you with God’s life and power.
Today’s Prayer
Father, help me to be wise in guarding what I let in through my eye-and ear-gates. I ask You to create in me a hunger for more of Jesus and His Word. I want my eyes to always behold His beauty and my ears to always hear His gracious words. And as I see and hear more of Jesus by Your Holy Spirit, I thank You for a greater measure of peace, wholeness and strength flowing through my body and soul.
Today’s Thought
The more I behold Jesus, the more I become saturated in His unmerited favor.
Sun. Apr 28. 12:01 am. 2024
