Email from Abiding Place Daily Bread – May 20, 2025 (The Third Day – Genesis 1:9-13) Matthew 6:22 – The light of the body is the eye — therefore, if your eye is single, your whole body is full of light. The Apple of the Eye When Jesus talked about the eye, He was referring to the things that have captivated our hearts. The Lord makes it clear how we cannot have earthly interests capturing our affections, and at the same time pursue the heavenly. We cannot serve two masters, for we will hold to the one and despise the other – we cannot serve earthly interests and Father, too (Matthew 6:24). Is not the life Christ now lives through us far better than the one we lived for ourselves? Why would we go back to our own pursuits? We clearly cannot serve two masters. Those who try to serve two masters will gradually lose the joy of their salvation. The excitement of their first love will become replaced with the anxiety of their earthly pursuits. The excitement of praise and the rejoicing of heart will gradually fall away until there is little more than an occasional smile. The psalmist said to God: “Keep me as the apple of the eye, hide me under the shadow of your wings” (Psalm 17:8). God’s people are the apple of His eye, and it certainly must be a grief to His heart when we chase after things that are nothing more than vanities and illusive self-interest at the expense of the life of Christ (Zechariah 2:8; Deuteronomy 32:10). The apple (or delight) of the eye represents the things most precious to our souls. It would be totally wrong to expect God to make us the apple of His eye while we pursue a number of other interests. We are a precious treasure to the Lord, and it is only right He becomes our treasure too. Our Heavenly Father would do anything for us, and love would demand we would do anything for Him. God would have our interest, and He delights in the things pertaining to life and truth. He does not want us to go after things that are meaningless pursuits, things that would leave us barren and unfruitful. Our treasure must be in Heaven in the love Christ Jesus has for us. Otherwise, our affections for Him will become lukewarm. God’s ways of life and His instructions must become the apple of our eye and the delight of our souls if we are to know unspeakable joy and have our whole body filled with light (Proverbs 7:2; 1 Peter 1:8; Matthew 6:19-23; Luke 11:33-36). Blessings, Pastor Mark Spitsbergen
Daily Bread 5/20/2025
