Fixed!

Fixed!

So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. 2 Corinthians 4:18 NIV

The eyes are the windows into the soul. Jesus Himself said that if thy eye be single, your whole body will be full of light. There is a power in not just seeing, but seeing right. So many people have eyes, but cannot perceive what God is doing at the moment. So many people see the strange things going on around them, but they are unable to process it in line with God's predetermined counsel and purpose. God wants me not just to see and observe, but to fully understand what He is doing in and around me, and be able to respond appropriately. 

What I fix my eyes on will be a function of what I understand to be truly important. Men like myself have built up funds, with fat bank accounts to last them generations. It is possible that for another three generations, they may not lack. It is also possible that what has been built up may not last, but there is a confidence that comfort gives. Unfortunately, whatever it is that belongs to the earth will go with the earth. If all I have is what the world can give and take away, then I am poor indeed. If all I can leave for generations after me are just fat bank accounts and nothing more, then I have not really left anything of true value. 

So, it matters what I understand to be of true value. If I know what true value is, I will spend my life pursuing that. With God, this world is just a passing phase, and we all would do well to understand this. There is nothing down here that I can take with me when death or rapture comes; the only thing that will translate is the soul, the real me, the one that will stand before God for judgement. Fire is the ultimate end of all I see down here. It is that understanding that Paul had that led to the words of today's extract, and it is that understanding all who will end up with God must have. 

Cast but a glance at possessions, power, position and privilege. They can be seen or felt, which means they belong to this earthly phase. As long as they can be perceived by mortal men, they do not satisfy the requirements and purposes of an immortal God. God can use them to fulfil His will, but do not be distracted by them. God may not need them to bring His purpose to bear in my life, which is why I must be careful of the things my eyes are fixed on. My focus defines my pursuit.

In these strange times, we need to check our priorities. What am I focused on? Can they lead me into eternal life? Are the things of this world so precious to me that they keep my eyes away from eternity? I must keep at the back of my mind this eternal truth: if it is not inspired by God, it cannot produce that which glorifies God. Nothing of the world can help secure that which is of heaven. I must settle in my heart that which is eternally relevant to me, and focus on that, to the exclusion of every other thing. Can you do that? His time of favour is here.