“But
Blessed Are Your Eyes
Because They See”
In
them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah: “‘You will
be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never
perceiving.
For
this people’s heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and
they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear
with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.’
But
blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear. For
truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see
but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.
“Listen
then to what the parable of the sower means: When anyone hears the message
about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches
away what was sown in their heart. This is the seed sown along the path. The
seed falling on rocky ground refers to someone who hears the word and at once
receives it with joy. But since they have no root, they last only a short time.
When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. The
seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the
worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it
unfruitful. But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the
word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a
hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”
Matthew 13:14-22
How
easily we can be distracted by many things, whether in our relationship with
others or with the Lord.
Jesus
told His followers that spiritual distraction begins with hearts that have
grown dull, easrs that are hard of hearing, and eyes
that are closed.
There
is great value in having times throughout each day when we turn off the
distractions of mind and heart and focus on the Lord.
Focusing on Christ puts everything else in
perspective.
Our
Daily Bread – November 21, 2014