12 Aug 2012; Luke 4

Instead of starting with Luke 4, I start with

 “The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!
(Matthew 6:22-23 ESV)

The single eye of the body refer to our focus. What we see is what view life is. What we aim is what we pursue and laid the foundation of what we want to build.

In Luke 4, is about the temptation of Jesus in the desert. I used to hear sermon regarding the areas we have to guard - material, power and status.

But these are something new as I hear Mat 6:22-23. It is not the worldly Christian but the double-minded Christian. The later is one who compromised. How great is the darkness of deception?

Man shall not live by bread alone. The first temptation. Can we then have both? Compromises?
This test on our basic rights, the world ask for rights, especially the basic "human rights". What then are we surrendering to? It is the all not just the word "alone" to give an excuse for compromise to the temptation.

The second is the kingdom of the world offered if you bow down to me. Obvious no, no bow down. That is simple, but anyway that is too much, I just want some. Compromise again of this temptation with our life goal.  This test on our resolutions, not to win the world, the treasures of the world, but what we just aim that is enough. To this compromise is not taking shortcuts, but focus on godly matters.

The last is commanding the angels to support Jesus. Not that we want that, but at least we have a portion of that ability. Compromise in our identity. Guard our relationship, not what we build with man to lord over them, but stay true.

To sum up - 3 compromises that we ought to stay of - our basic needs, our life goal and our self identity. It test us in the areas of our rights, our resolutions and our relationship.

What make us worldly is simple. What is more difficult is a double-minded in the things that we say it is ok in some and compromised. Therefore we surrender our rights to God, we stay on course in our Godly purposes and our stay true in our relationship with God.

Therefore, I pray for that single eye focus of God, for the double-minded Christian is one that is difficult to spot. We know well who we are in God or have we live in a life of compromises? If our focus is bad, then how great is that darkness.