Proverbs 4:25 “let your eyes look directly forwards, and your gaze be straight before you”
Sometimes there is a temptation to look the other way, or even just to look away.
I remember being in a small mud house in a remote area of Honduras, we had come to pray for an older lady who was coming to the end of her life. She lay on wooden slats, covered by a thin sheet, herself so thin that there was not a ripple in the sheet. As we prayed a spider the size of a modest dinner plate came out from under her pillow. I wanted to look away.
Or the five-year-old boy who had been snake bitten clearing his families land, and was left on a sheet, in a wooden hut, to either live or die. I wanted to look away. We prayed desperate prayers for him.
Or the baby so sick it definitely needed medical attention, but there was none for a few hundred miles in any direction. I did not know where to look. We prayed with all we had for him.
A young man had been working in the fields clearing ground for the next planting. He followed through on one swing of his machete and it went right between his toes. The wound had been unattended for a week when we arrived. I cleaned it for him, dressed it in antiseptic cream and a bandage. I prayed for him and left my cream.
The garbage dumps in Mumbai, with children as young as two or three years old foraging for food.
The villages in Nicaragua had been recently ethnically cleansed.
Then as if someone flicks a switch I am in an “all you can eat” restaurant, walking past empty tables where plates spilling uneaten wasted food sit making their own impression.
I did not know sometimes whether I should feel blessed or guilty.
I choose not to look away but to get involved, to make a difference, to take medicines to remote areas, to help build houses for the homeless, to visit prisoners, and to visit and care for the sick. Not because of who I am, but rather because of who He is, and because he never looked away,
KNOWLEDGE
In the previous verse, our speaking was given instruction and wisdom, now the writer turns his attention to our looking, before finally at the next verse he considers our actions. Here we are told to keep our gaze focused, straight ahead, looking towards the source of wisdom, insight, knowledge and understanding. Not to be distracted, not to keep looking in other places, from side to side.
There are some big issues at stake here. What we look at, how long we look for, and the heart behind how we look, is the a,b,c of life. They are –
activate our thoughts,
build our habits, and
create our character.
Every good and pure decision has its alpha in where our vision is, every sinful action has at its base where our eyes are wandering.
There are so many things calling to us from the streets, markets and busyness of life, so many opportunities clamouring for our attention, so many good things that would take us away from the God things, so many bad things that will lead us into captivity, pain, remorse, and sorrow.
The writer is sharing wisdom with us, wisdom that will lend itself to protect our heart above all else, wisdom that will keep us steady, and create the beautiful foundations of a life hidden in Christ.
If we follow this counsel, we will make time to consider where our eyes go, we will meditate on the vision we have for our life, and we will commit to keeping looking straight ahead into the future that God has in mind for us.
UNDERSTANDING
Let’s pick one word from this verse to look closer at and see if that can help us gain a deeper insight into how God would love us to live?
The word in Hebrew for “forward” is “nokah”, and this word appears 25 times in the Old Testament. In the ESV it is translated into English as for; front; opposite; under; facing; directly forwards; and, before.
For our understanding of this verse, we could substitute “directly opposite”.
WISDOM: what are you looking for and at today?
STRENGTHS THOUGHT: Achiever and Responsibility as a Theme Dynamic. Whether it feels good or not, if it’s the right thing, you will step up and commit.
Allan’s Unauthorised Version – [what you see and what you think off, keep before you at all times, and let your fluttering eyelashes be pleasing, do good, and stay clear of obstacles.]
PRAYER: Father, thank you for today. Help me to keep my focus and my passion locked in on you today. Thank you, Father!
I so love feedback – please do scroll down and use a few moments to encourage me?
My heart just breaks to hear your story about your time in Honduras. At that moment just knowing that you all were desperately praying bold prayers.
I really got encouraged by your attitude and your passion to choose not to look away, but to get involved, to make a difference to keep on going.
Your strength thought really challenged me – if it’s the right thing, you will step up and commit.
Thanks Ps Allan.
Thank you Pastor Allan. Yes it is so easy to look away when it hurts or when we are helpless. But making a choice to look in and make difference is so important. I always try and look for the good in others and today I am definitely looking for God’s supernatural wisdom to show up.
Choosing not to look away because he didn’t look away. Beautiful. Such sad stories, what a blessing that you were able to help with what was in your hand and be a blessing to others.
activate our thoughts,
build our habits, and
create our character.
These are such great thoughts. Really love this important reminder.
Allan it is true all those difficult to look at situations the lord looks at and asks us, who of you (us) will go to them in my name? And it is often fear that holds us back . It is one thing to be moved by compassion and another to physically move toward the need and offer what Is in our hand to them. It may be something we can physically do for them or laying our hands on them in Jesus name for healing .
To look and act , not turn away (certainly a challenge for me to get right every time)
God Bless this word over us today
I love the teaching of what we truly activate in our thoughts ,lead to habits and that builds our character,thank you for putting it into such a precise and straight forward manner pastor Allan.i love that .
For us to make Godly choices for our lives which leads us to God and life .
Poor choices eventually lead us to destruction and death.
I need God so much to help me make the right choices and decisions for my life every day,
I pray Gods wisdom to lead me and to draw me close to him.and help me stay the path.
Today’s message of not looking away but forward. It reminds me of the heart of Jesus which was always compassionate towards the poor, sick and downtrodden. It’s a good reminder that our hearts should have the compassion. But also the grace to acknowledge our blessings.
Sometimes it is hard to keep focus when there is so much clutter at our doorstep. Thanks for the reminder
Very often when faced with a sea of suffering humanity, it is so easy to feel overwhelmed and to look away, wondering where to start. But, as this message teaches us, Christ never looked away. We have a responsibility to stay focused and do all that we can to help reduce their suffering. We need to keep our vision straight ahead and avoid temptation.
Thank you Pastor Allan for this message that brings back unforgettable memories of living and working in India.
Sometimes it’s not easy to keep my gaze focused, straight ahead without being distracted…
But I choose to fix my eyes to you JESUS, the author and finisher of my faith! 🙏
Thank you Pastor Allan for sharing your experiences in Honduras – praise God you didn’t look away from their sad plight & was able to bring some compassion comfort & prayer to these helpless people who God loves so much.
The world is so full of desperate need on many levels & so our challenge is not to look away when we can extend a helping hand of comfort & prayer. Christ is our example & so begs the question ‘what would Jesus do?’ As Christians if we want to stay on the right path we have to control what we look at & keep our focus on God’s standards & not on other people’s opinions & the cultural norms. It takes discipline to resist social pressure which is a powerful force in this day & age. Keeping our gaze towards God will bring the knowledge & wisdom we need to navigate our life & stay away from temptations set up to lead us astray & take us captive for they will inevitably come our way. Our thought life is a key to creating good habits & in turn builds our strength of character to walk away from evil. God’s Word warns us to take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ & if they are not pleasing to God then we can deal with them before they enter our heart & become a part of us.
I am praying for what is around me in my journey to be encouraged and healed whenever I walk near and see what God sees. My eyes are open, my heart full of compassion and my ears listening to the prompting of the Holy Spirit. It’s not about me but God’s purpose, calling and destiny. I want to be used by Him in whatever way I can. Today it will be by teaching 20 kindergarten kids and sharing about Jesus and helping them read and write.
Pastor AlanGod has Graced this amazing man in side u, that has place so much inside u, preparing this unbelievable journey. Which he has gone b4 u, so that u 2 can equip the people that r going to cum under yor leadership, wiv this experience how u b able 2 teach us 🤷🏽♂️, pastor u really hav lived a full life and u r only half way there 😂👏🏽.
It’s like the saying “ wat the eyes 👀 hav seen, “ wat the ears 👂 hav heard , wat the nose 👃 hav smelt, it seems u hav been all over the world doing Gods will, c some of the things that u hav experienced ( the women, the Boy foraging food , boy wiv the axe and diffenitly wiv the spider 😱😩), God’s hand has been soooo on yor life pastor because I believe u hav 2b annoited 2do this work that he has placed on yor head 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👍🏾