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Day 74: Undistracted Devotion (SoS 1:15)

 “Behold, you are fair, my love! Behold, you are fair! You have dove’s eyes.”

Song of Songs 1:15

In the previous lesson, we looked at what makes doves' eyes special, why the Beloved complimented the Bride like that, and how it relates to us and Jesus. We looked at Jesus' words in Matthew 6:22 and juxtaposed them with how doves' eyes can only focus on one thing at a time.

One more thing unique to doves about their vision is that when they fix their eyes on their partner, it is hard to get them to look away. They are not easily distracted. Matthew 6:22 again in the King James Version reads:

“The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. But if thine eye is evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!”

When you study the Greek word translated as evil in this scripture and compare it with other words like it, you'll discover that it means evil by influence and not by nature or character.

In essence, Jesus was saying when our focus and attention are divided, our spiritual eyes and ultimately life becomes unhealthy. Our perception becomes skewed. Spiritual insight becomes dull and we risk being deceived. We risk walking in darkness thinking we're walking in the true light of Him. We must not let ourselves be influenced by anything more than Jesus and His word.

Jesus delights in fellowship undistracted by service or anything else. He takes pleasure in our focus on Him. He takes pleasure when we delight in His commandments. We are more lovely and beautiful to Him when He is the ultimate and only focus of our lives.

In Psalm 27, David described a scenario where he was surrounded by enemies seeking to destroy him. Surprisingly, he didn't give God a million and one reasons why he had to deliver him from trouble. Right in the middle of the chaos he said in verse 4:

“One thing I have desired of the Lord, That will I seek: That I may dwell in the house of the Lord All the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the Lord, And to inquire in His temple.”

His desire to remain alive and be protected from danger was motivated by his desire for continual communion with the Lord. He understood as it is written in Psalm 91:14 that as long as his love is set on the Lord, the Lord will protect him from danger.

The world's and the enemy's number one goal is to get our eyes away from Jesus. Everything around us is tailored to get us focused on anything other than our Beloved. 

Peter as long as He kept His gaze on Jesus walked on water in Matthew 14. But when he got distracted by the raging storm, he began to sink. While Martha was distracted by service, Mary focused on Jesus and the Lord said she chose the one needful thing.

We must guard our affection and desire for Jesus by guarding the gateways to our hearts: our eyes, ears and mouth. We must look away from whatever distracts our fellowship with Jesus, not just because it delights His heart but also because therein lies every answer to life challenges. And with victory over challenges, comes a deeper walk with Jesus.

PRAY WITH ME:
My Beloved Jesus, help me to set my gaze, my thoughts, and my desires on You at all times. No matter what is going on around me, help me to prioritize you in my thoughts and actions. Amen.

REFLECT & ACT:
  • Evaluate your walk with the Lord. How focused are you on Jesus, His kingdom, and His desires for you?
  • What are the things you think often get your focus away from Jesus? How can you deal with them and prioritize Him both in thoughts and actions?

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