As we enter 2023, if we are to enjoy a deeper relationship with God and its related blessings, we need to ensure that we are not distracted from Jesus. Here is a devotion that reminds us of guarding our eyes:

IN WORD Many sins begin with the eyes. What the eyes gaze upon, the heart begins to crave. They are like personal advertisers letting us know all the options available to us. Their range is great, but they are not naturally discerning. They take in everything, and in our weakness, we let them make too many demands. They can lead us to holy cravings for God and truth, but they also lead us in paths of coveting and lust.
Jesus shocked His disciples with a warning about our eyes. If one of them causes us to sin, we should gouge it out and throw it away (Matthew 5:29). Is the eye really that corrupt? No, but sin is that serious. It must be dealt with. And the first practical way to deal with it is to guard the eyes. Just as we are responsible for the things that fill our hearts and the words that roll off our tongues, we are also responsible for the gaze of our eyes.
Too many lives on a straight course in God’s will have been turned aside by an irrelevant stare. A glimpse turns into a gaze, a gaze turns into a craving, a craving turns the heart to the side, and a misdirected heart wreaks havoc on godliness and service. Glances can quickly become compulsions, and compulsions quickly become idols.
IN DEED Take an inventory of what you stare at. The results will tell you a lot about what is important to you. In all likelihood, you will find some things that are inappropriately significant to you—a hobby too time-consuming, an unholy desire, a passion contrary to God’s revealed direction for your life. All fall short of God’s good will for us. A tendency to look aside indicates a dissatisfaction with what you already have. If you are dissatisfied, the answer is not in looking in new directions; it is in strengthening your gaze on the Savior and His ways. Fix your eyes on what is ultimately worthy of your attention. Gaze at Jesus. “God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him.” – John Piper (in “Walking with God” by Chris Tiegreen)

1 Peter was written to Christians who became disenchanted by Christianity and began to look away from Jesus. The apostle Peter reminded them that if they did so, they would lose something of far greater worth and longevity. Take time this week to read 1 Peter and ask the Holy Spirit to see how much more valuable and beneficial it is to life when we fix our eyes on Jesus and faithfully follow Him. Have a blessed week and Happy Lunar New Year! - from Singapore, Pastor Sam