Text: Romans 12:1, 2
Jesus talked about eyes, ears, hair, head, mouth, hand; those of our parts of the body are highly counted valuable in the sight of God. Especially of his servants who carry out His plans and heart desires.
1. Preserve your thought
The faith of humble Christians understands this better than the fancy of the most learnt men. Satan ruined himself by desiring to be like the Most High: therefore he sought to infect our first parents with the same desire, that he might ruin them too and still the devil draws people into his interest by suggesting them hard thoughts of God and false hopes of advantage by sin. Let us therefore, always think well of God as the best good, and think ill of sin as the worst evil: thus let us resist the devil and he will flee from us.
Self-esteem: Genesis 6:5 “And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” Matthew 23:12 “and whosoever shall exalt himself shall be humbled; and he shall humble himself shall be exalted.”
Servant life-style: Isaiah 55:8 “for my thoughts are not your thoughts; nor your ways my ways, says the Lord”. John 13;3-5 “ Jesus knowing that the father had given all things into His hand, and he had come from God, and was going to God; He poured water into a basin, and began to wash the disciples feet, and to wipe them with the towel with which he was girded.”
Our thought should be to win someone to Jesus Christ, Winning souls at any cost.
2. Preserve your Eyes
Luke 11:34-36 “The light of the body is the eye: therefore when your eye is single, thy whole body also is full of light; but when your eye is evil, thy body is full of darkness. Take heed therefore that the light which is in thee be not darkness.” If thy whole body therefore be full of light, having no part darkness, the whole shall be full of light, as when the bright shining of a candle does give you light.
Illustration: A king was infected with eye defection when the physicians did attend him; and suggested the king that if he would see everything greenish; his eye defection would sooner be cured. The king commanded at once everything in his kingdom should coloured green. There was a wise minister in his court assembly said to the king, your honour, it is not necessary that everything in the kingdom to coloured green only if the king wears a green colour spectacle that will solve the complication and will bring speedier cure to the king’s eye defection.
That is true with our life in the society as the people read us every moment of our move among them. Our body is a living text book which is being referred, exemplified.
We must look through the eyes of Jesus Christ whether people, materials, or situation before we speak about it or do something with it or make any decision even if it is opportunity.
3. Preserve your mouth
1 Samuel 2:3 “Talk no more so exceeding proudly; let not arrogancy come out of your mouth for the Lord is a God of knowledge and by him actions are weighed.”
Malachi 2:7 “For the priest’s lips should keep knowledge and people should seek the law at his mouth; for he is the messenger of the Lord of host.”
Lamentation 3:25-31 “The Lord is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeks him. It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord. it is good for a man that he bears the yoke in his youth. He sits alone and keeps silence, because he hath borne it upon him. He put his mouth in the dust: if so be there may be hope. He gives his cheek to him that smite him; he is filled with reproach. For the Lord will not cost off forever.”
Pray to God like David prayed in Psalms 120:2 deliver my soul, O Lord, from lying lips, and from a deceitful tongue. Our words should be words of love not even positive criticism.
Illustration: There was a woman gossiped about the neighbour of practicing immorality, she was scandalizing a woman’s by speaking without evidence. The woman who lost her reputation petitioned in the court for justice, the Judge after investigation found baseless and everything was to be rumor, passed final verdict with severe punishment to accused than the accused implored wrote a letter to the Judge for forgiveness for which the Judge told her that you go back to the town, tear the letter paper into pieces and keep it in the middle of the four road junction and instructed her to come into morning to collect them back on doing this he would set her free from the charge. The accused woman did the same but in the morning she found not even a single paper it was carried by the wind, with sadness she reported it to the Judge and the Judge told her that it is same with gossip once spoke wrong about somebody will spread in the wind and reach all the ears that would offend name of other.
We must be careful to judge other us and we must speak if in your place what Jesus would speak about that situation, about that person, and about that matter.
4. Preserve your heart
Jeremiah 17:9, 10 “The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked who can know it? I the Lord search the heart; I try reins, even to give every man according to his wasys, and according to the fruit of his doings.”
Don’t carry evil in your heart: give to the lord all that you have in your heart against someone or against something, what you cannot do with your brain, what you cannot do with your money, what you cannot do with your power, what you cannot do with help of the people, what you cannot do with your anger but God can do without any of your help. Share your heart with God every day likes to listen from you rather then knowing your situation as God supernaturally. Are thinking that you are facing something which God cannot deal with? There is no matter in which he cannot help you.
The next time you carry something evil in your heart, give it to God and try Him. What He would do for you on that matter? If you know once you will never take up anything to handle by yourself that is what His love towards you.
Carrying evil in your heart against or about someone or something will destroy you without your knowledge.
Illustration: One day two monks were returning to their monastery after rain stopped, the road was muddy and was slippery. When they came to a brook to cross over it, they saw women wearing a silk saree looking extraordinary charming and beautiful with fear and hesitation to cross the brook because water would come above her knees, she was perplexed about the situation.
Monk Ravi learning her situation went near her lifted her in his arms and carried her across bank of the brook and left her on ground without expecting anything Ravi walked off from her.
It was unacceptable act for monk Raja to imagine his friend Monk Ravi did touch woman and carried her in his arm, he felt it was violation against rules and regulation of monks. Monk Raja started judging and questing monk Ravi for his act and gradually pestering. For which Monk Ravi answer Monk Raj before they were about enter inside Monastery:
Ravi: I left her there on the bank of the brook but you are still carrying her on your heart.
Many a times without realization we carry something that would not allow us to enjoy the blessing of God in our life. Empty your heart in the presence of God.
Conclusion
God is going to test us and our work with fire 1 Corinthians 3:13 “every man’s work will be made manifest, for the day will declare it,” because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will try every man’s work what sort of it.
We should introspect on what and who we are in the sight of God? We should 1 Peter 1:16; Leviticus 11:44 “Be holy to God as He is holy.”
Preserve your body holy for the Lord to dwell in you because the Bible says “you body is the temple of the Holy Spirit 1 Corinthians 3:16, 17.”
May God help us in our weakness and “he who has ears to hear let him hear”- Amen
Abel Amirtharaj (www.fea.org.in)
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