By Steven Hall

Most are familiar with the children’s song “O Be Careful, Little Eyes.” The words remind us, “O be careful, little eyes, what you see; O be careful, little eyes, what you see; There’s a Father up above looking down in tender love; So, be careful, little eyes what you see.” The words are simple that even a child can understand them, but the message teaches a deep truth. The eyes must be kept guarded from the evil influences of the world.The eye is a complex organ. It is designed to permit the interpretation of colors, shapes and the dimensions of objects. It is the organ that provides the sense of sight. Sight is made possible when light is reflected off of an object and is then transferred through the eye. The eye transforms light into electrical signals. Those electrical signals are interpreted by the brain, and a visual image is conceived. Therefore, we do not see with our eyes but with our brains. It is important to note that the eye cannot see objects when light is absent. Light is necessary for sight. So it may be deduced that for one to see spiritual matters, spiritual light is necessary.Jesus said,  

Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. “The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!  “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.” (Matthew 6:19-24, cf. Luke 11:34-36).  

In His sermon, Jesus emphasized the great importance of placing full trust in God and completely submitting to His will. Many in the world seek after corruptible riches. It is those riches that often draw our attention away from serving and seeking God. When the eye sees the pleasures of the world, it often creates a desire for the things of the world. This desire is called “covetousness.” And covetousness is idolatry. Paul wrote, “Therefore put to death your members which are upon the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry” (Colossians 3:5). A wise man will seek after an eternal reward and not the fading pleasures of the world (Hebrews 11:24-25). The light and vision of the mind are transferred through the eye. The eye stockpiles for the body the benefits of light and vision. Many emulate and desire what they see. But if the eye is diseased and corrupted, the desires of the heart will be obscured and corrupted. If the eye is desirous of evil things, the ability of clear vision for spiritual things is lost and the whole body is full of darkness.Jesus said, “Therefore, when your eye is good, your whole body is also full of light” (Luke 11:34).  The completely focused eye cannot look at two objects with the same desire at the same time. One object will overshadow the other. James wrote, “A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways” (James 1:8). One cannot fill his eyes with evil and expect it to reflect righteousness in his mind. Jesus said, “What comes out of a man, that defiles a man. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within and defile a man.” (Mark 7:20-23). One’s morals and motives are expressed in his will and intent. One’s will and intent is governed by that which he places in his mind (Romans 12:1-2). 

The eye provides guidance for our direction in life. If one does not look where he is going, he is likely to stumble. Jesus said, “Can the blind lead the blind? Will they not both fall into the ditch?” (Luke 6:39). A wise man will focus his eyes on seeking first the kingdom of God (Matthew 6:33).