The First 15

Friday October 28, 2022

by Jan Davis

Today is Friday, October 28 and we are learning what Jesus says about treasure.

Opening Prayer

I enter this time of prayer seeking to still the chaos of the world and silence the noise of my mind. I center myself upon the One true God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Pause and Pray

Lord Jesus, I want to learn the definition of true treasure. Teach me what it means to live the kingdom life with You as my personal instructor and the Holy Spirit as my guide. Wherever You lead, I will follow. Amen.

Scripture Reading

As a new day dawns, I praise God with the words of Psalm 146.

He upholds the cause of the oppressed and gives food to the hungry. The Lord sets prisoners free, the Lord gives sight to the blind, the Lord lifts up those who are bowed down, the Lord loves the righteous. Psalm 146:7-8

Pause and Pray

The eye is the lamp of the body. If the eye of my soul is healthy and whole and can see the light of Christ, then moral behavior will inevitably follow. If I have the right intentions, I will pursue the right behavior. If the eye of my soul is unhealthy the vision I have for my life will be distorted or blinded and I will not be able to determine the right direction. I will live in spiritual darkness without the lamp of guidance illuminating my path. If the eye of my soul is covered with scales of jealousy, greed, selfishness, dishonesty, disobedience, or immorality, then my whole body will be full of darkness and emptiness.

The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness! Matthew 6:22-23

Reflection

John Wesley warned Christians that there was no middle ground between a single eye and an evil eye. If the eye is not singularly fixed on God, if my intentions are not for God alone, if I harbor ulterior motives or evil intentions, then my mind and conscience are defiled. My purposes are decidedly self-serving. A veil covers my heart and my mind is blinded by the god of this world. I become unable to discern God’s path and will be prone to error and misstep.*

Ask: Is my eye, the lamp of my body, healthy or unhealthy? Is my whole body full of the light of Christ or do places of darkness remain?

Pause and Pray

Blessed Lord Jesus, You see my eye, the lamp of my body. Please render Your diagnosis and determine the health of my soul. Cure my blindness, restore my vision, remove the scales that cloud the truth, bring light to my darkness and clarify my path. Keep me singularly fixed on You. I read Matthew again, listening for the message You have for me today.

The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness! Matthew 6:22-23

Ask: What image, word or phrase stands out to me when I slowly read this passage? What is God trying to say to me through these words of scripture?

Pause and Pray

The lamp of my body and the eye of my soul is a window into my spiritual health. How is it with my soul? What does God want to reveal to me? Perhaps there are blindspots of which I am unaware. Maybe I am nearsighted and unable to see the vastness of God’s grace. Perhaps I am farsighted and unable to perceive the things of God that are close at hand and I am missing out. The Lord is the one who removes the scales from my eyes, heals my sight and restores my singular vision.

Pause and Pray

Lord Jesus, I invite You to examine the eyes of my heart. Remove the dark spots that cloud my vision and give me a pure and undefiled intention of spirit. Place Your hands on me, open my eyes, let me see again, strengthen me and fill me with Your Holy Spirit. Amen.

Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord—Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here—has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized, and after taking some food, he regained his strength. Acts 9:17-19

*Resources: Sermons on Several Occasions, Volume II – Upon Our Lord’s Sermon on the Mount, by John Wesley, edited by William J. Abraham, 2021.

Closing Prayer

I leave this time of prayer with eyes wide open to the love God has for me, I go to share His great love with others.

Amen

The First 15

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