Peter turned and saw that the disciple whom Jesus loved was following them. (This was the one who had leaned back against Jesus at the supper and had said, “Lord, who is going to betray you?”)
- John 21:20
Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.
- 1 John 2:15-17
The Boilerplate
My wife took a Bible Study in 2009. She had become a Christian in 2000, and about the time that she took this class during the week at night, she developed night blindness, or at least the start of it. I would drive her to a friend’s house, and then the friend would drive her home afterwards. The focus on the Bible Study was weight loss from a biblical perspective. I don’t know if any weight was lost by anyone in the Bible Study, but a few members of that group became very good friends.
My wife passed away in March and I found her study guide as I was cleaning up. I actually found two study guides. The other study guide was from a Bible study long before committing herself to Jesus. Her answers were usually copying Scripture or turning the Scripture into her own words. This Bible Study in 2009 showed signs of how God was working in her life. It showed Christian growth.
So, instead of writing about a topic at random, I decided to write on the topics in the Study Guide, but instead of using the words of the Study Guide, I thought I would fashion the answers of her questions into a thread to discuss the topic. And I will not use any comment about other members of the group study (few, and usually prayer requests). That would be confidential. Thus, I am writing about these topics “with a little help” from my wife’s answers to study guide questions.
Discussion on this topic
“I pray that I too can call myself a disciple. I do love Jesus, but Peter also had faults and still denied Jesus – Until Peter’s eyes were opened and also his heart – then he understood. I still have some areas where I can’t seem to let go and give it to Jesus Christ.”
- My wife’s thoughts about being a disciple
She is having a hard time between being one of the Twelve and being a follower of Jesus Christ. There were many that were there from the baptism of Jesus who also saw His resurrection. Matthias was added to the Twelve, but he was among three, and there could have been many more. According to Acts 1:15, there were about 120 people who were gathering in and around the upper room. They were all disciples, but only the twelve were considered the Twelve Apostles. Paul was the Apostle to the Gentiles. But disciples? There were many more and they served many roles.
But as we look at taking our eyes off Jesus, where might our eyes settle?
“Lustful eyes don’t come from the Father (God), but from the world.”
- My wife’s thoughts about the second Scripture above
When we think of lustful eyes, most of us think about that person that we find attractive. Jesus mentioned in the Sermon on the Mount that if we lusted upon that other person that is not our spouse, we have already committed adultery in our hearts.
My wife may have had times in her life where she looked upon another man and had yearnings, but she always stayed faithful in her actions. She seemed to have a thing for Rick Springfield. Odd, as she grew older and so did Rick Springfield, she once said, “I’m glad that did not work out.” I never asked her to qualify that statement. She had met Chuck Norris and turned down a date with him, before he became a TV/movie star, but notable in martial arts. Note: This was about a month before we got married, and her matron of honor’s husband was setting up the date. She never met Rick Springfield, just a fantasy.
But when my wife thought of looking with lustful eyes, she might be looking at a swordfish steak or a huge platter of Nachos Grande. She might lustfully look at a banana split, but after one bite, she would hand it to me to finish. Too sweet. She was a savory person, but it was mostly fish later in life. She was a salty person, but within limits. Her eyes were bigger than her stomach for the last twenty years. As she got older, it was amazing that she could not lose weight due to not eating hardly anything. But if she “lusted,” it was for food.
With her food meant fellowship and she loved having delicious food that others would enjoy, just so she could keep the conversation going. So, maybe her “lust” for food was really a desire to be around other people, since she knew she had no appetite for a full adult-sized meal.
“Everything is in God’s hands – Seek His kingdom first – Let God be in control. If anyone loves the world, the Father is not in him.”
- My wife’s inner thoughts
We all have those little things that we hang onto. In some cases, they bring back memories. In some cases, they are the hope of fresh memories to come. But why are we torn between this world and the next?
“God created both kingdoms – a heavenly perfect one and an earthly broken one. Seek first His kingdom and everything else will be given to you.”
- My wife’s inner thoughts
But what else, besides lust of the eyes, is not given to us from the Father? But where is the source of these things if not from the Father?
“The boasting of what he has and does. [They come] from this world (Satan its leader}.”
- My wife’s inner thoughts
But where did my wife get her strength?
“Our bodies deceive us by letting ourselves fall into our temptation of food and lack of exercise. Our boasting fails us when we think we’ve done it on our own – but really God is the one who gives us the strength to continue on – if we allow Him to.”
- My wife’s inner thoughts
I am thinking that there will be two more installments in this series.
Soli Deo Gloria. Only to God be the Glory
Thoughts from Mark "Hat" Rackley 
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