The eyes have it

DEVOTION

PROVERBS

THE EYES HAVE IT

Prov 21:4

4 Haughty eyes and a proud heart, the lamp of the wicked, are sin!

NIV

The Hebrew word translated as haughty is rightly a high look in the eyes. The high look in the eyes is a result of a wide heart which is the plow that sows sin. This is how the interlinear states this proverb. A prideful heart is always going to show itself in a person’s eyes, but the problem is that prideful heart is either due to sin, or leads to sin. Yet the prideful heart is sin itself. We are admonished to humble ourselves.

Eph 4:1-4

 2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. 3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.

NIV

That is just one of many verses we are told to be humble. Many of them speak of being humble before the Lord, which for the most part is easy. Who would be able to be proud before God? He knows our heart, he knows our thoughts, he knows our sin and he still loves us, no matter what. He loves us so much that he set the cross before Christ before the foundation of the earth, before time. He established his Spirit to dwell within us before he spoke life into existence. God’s love toward us is far beyond what we might even be able to understand. So it surely should be easy for us to be humble before him. But to be humble before other people is totally a different picture. It seems we are always concerned how other people see us. We want them to think well of us. Who would want others to look down on them? Yet do we want others to look up at us? Many are concerned what they look like to others. Even what clothes we wear, or our hair style, basically our outward appearance. Others are concerned about what others think about them from an inward appearance. That is do we show others how spiritual we are, or how deep of thinkers we are regarding the truths of God. Do we want others to think we are humble? It seems to be a slippery slope no matter what the situation. Certainly being humble is the best way to live, but then if the reason we are being humble is so others will see our humbleness then we are having a high look produced by a wide heart.

Rom 12:3

3 For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.

NIV

We need to understand who we are, sinners saved by grace. We need not try to impress anyone about anything, we are who we are. Each of us have been given a gift to serve the others. We are all part of the body of Christ and as such we are all members of the same body and should not think any one member is more or less than any other member. So then for what reason would we have to indulge in pride? Certainly others have greater knowledge then we do. Some have greater insights that us. Others have a better understanding then we do. Some do many more acts of kindness then we do. Others have more abilities, skills, craftsmanship then us. We can continue on with every aspect of life and find others who seem better at whatever then we are. So then why would we ever consider being prideful? We are who God has made us to be. We are where God has sent us to be. We serve at his pleasure, doing that which he has purposed for us to do in whatever capacity that is, and so we humbly do his bidding. We cannot even be prideful about doing that. We should never forget our eyes are a window into our soul.