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I Will Lift My Eyes

Unto you I lift my eyes, who dwells in the heavens.*

The eye is the lamp of the body and by extension the eye means the faculty of mental perception and understanding thus where the eye is that is where the heart is and the treasure of our heart the eyes are focused on.* The treasures of heaven are not the same as the treasures of this earth and those who have been matured in Christ do not give out false hope in earthly blessings. How do we focus on the treasures of heaven and take our eyes off of the things of this world? We put our eyes on the maker of heaven and earth, we lift up our eyes, we trust in Him, who dwells in the heavens.

Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.*

If there is an issue of the heart then there is a mind set on earthly things. Such is good news for those who want to seek heavenly things, the eye is the lamp of the body, set the eye, the mind on things above. To set the mind on things above is to set your eyes on God, to trust in Him. If I place my trust in earthly things my mind will be set on these things and these things will not satisfy the soul. Oh you say money makes me happy, I am happy traveling to my beach house in my convertible. Well I say, what if the doctor tells you have a few weeks to live, will money make you happy? will you be happy in your new beach house? Where does my help come from? Where does my happiness come from?

I lift up my eyes to the mountains, from where comes my help? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.*

How does one have a heart devoted to God? it is to place trust in Him. What does it mean to trust in God? it is to lift your eyes to the heavens, to set your mind on him. James writes that loving the world is hostility toward God and whoever desires to love the world places himself out of the favor of God.* What does it profit if we gain the whole world yet lose our soul or what will a person give in exchange for his life?* What is our life? "You have no idea what your life will be like tomorrow, for you exist a mist appearing for a brief moment and then disappears."* Will tomorrow bring good or bad? if you were  lose to your life tomorrow what good are earthly things? If you were to lose everything of this world and gain your soul, you have great riches. "yea, the same says the present heavens and earth exist reserved for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly."* All that of the world is tempoary so set your mind on things above, eternal.

... and be not conformed to this world but be transformed, the renewal of the mind...*

Renewal is the act of renewing, and renew means to make, to replace, to become new or as new, to revive, to begin again. A child has a carnal mind that can not submit to the laws of God so the mind must be renewed. Contrary to some trust is more important at this point of development than obedience. Orphans have difficulty trusting, but God promises to not leave us as orphans. We are adopted as his children and he will not abandon us. A strong foundation is built in truth and love, obedience being a fruit of deep roots. The world conforms, peer pressure, bulling, fear... and when we set our mind on earthly we conform to the world. So we see our part in God's supernatural renewal, workmanship and revival, we are to set our eyes on Him. We need to see that unseen and it is faith that exists things unseen. We know who is the author and perfecter of faith.

Fix your eyes upon Jesus the author and perfecter of faith...*

Fix your eyes means to view with undivided attention, it is to look away from all else. Therefore the devotion of our heart begins with fixing our eyes on Jesus. When we do so our faith will increase and we will renew our mind, which overcomes our present circumstances. When this happens repeatedly it becomes second nature or ourvtrue nature to trust in God during difficult times. I know in my own life God has put me in very difficult circumstances, I had to trust God as no one else was there to help. This seems very difficult at first but it renews the mind and then the next time it becomes easier to trust in God until a strong foundation is established. So we begin by fixing our eyes, setting our gaze, Unto you I lift my eyes... Set your mind on things above... My help comes from the Lord. 

Watch your view, not viewing attentively that seen, but that unseen, for that seen is transient but that not seen is eternal.*

The issue of devotion begins with the heart, but can we set our heart? We set our eye, and by extension it is the mind thus the mind is the gateway to the heart, the eye being the lamp of the body. Now, one must be in Christ, have a new heart and God's Spirit within them. "Each person is tempted under his own desire lured away and enticed. Then desire conceived, gives birth to sin..."* If sin is in the body and the eye is the lamp of the body then what the eye is set on determines whether sin is conceived or not. Paul writes evil wars against the carnal mind, bringing one captive to sin in the body.* Therefore the mind is important in whether we are led away captive to sin in the body or to heavenly things. As the mind is renewed it can withstand such temptations easier.

The lamp of the body exists the eye. If your eye exists healthy your whole body exists enlightened with Light.*

Sin dwells in the body, Paul writes. John says you do not walk in trust if you say you do not sin. If the eye is the lamp of the body and if by extension the eye means the mind then the eye or the mind is the gateway to the heart. Thus "set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth." That which is seen speaks of the things of this earth and that which is unseen the things of heaven. How can one view, how can one see the things of heaven? By faith only. Some say that faith by its nature says tangible evidence doesn't exist but this is not true, the nature of faith is that tangible evidence exists as that not seen with an earthly eye but with a heavenly one. And since the eye by extension is the mind, faith is that tangible evidence that exists, is understood by the mind. The mind is persuaded by faith thus this is the renewing of the mind. Jesus is the author and perfecter of faith thus one can not have faith without believing in Jesus.

Faith exists hope, assurance, and proof of things not seen.*

This word for proof is often translated conviction but it is better explained as a persuasion, a proving. I like the word proof as it is not based upon feelings and it speaks of an approved mind, of surety, of a renewed mind. God proves that He is faithful and trustworthy. How can one see things not seen? Faith exists assurance, a support, substance, steadiness, confidence. Assurance is from two words "by, under" and "make stand, to stand," which speaks of having a foundation. Hope means to hope for, to look for but also to think, deem, suppose, believe, to hope in. We lift up our eyes as our hope is in Him, which also speaks of a renewed mind. From where comes my help? Faith comes from the maker of heaven and earth. "By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, to the extent that what is seen came into existence not by anything observable."* How does one believe in creation? not by that observable but by faith. "For in Him all things were created in heaven and on earth, things visible and invisible... And he exists before all and in him all things view"* In Him I see, view the things of heaven, so I will lift my eyes to the maker of heaven and earth.

I Will Lift My Eyes

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