The Eyes of the Heart

March 26, 2008

By Greg Ebie

They say that love is blind. When it comes to romance that may or may not be true. Spiritually we begin our lives with the eyes of our heart darkened (see 2 Corinthians 4:4). The love of Christ opens our hearts to see with increasing clarity of vision.

“And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ — to the glory and praise of God” (Philippians 1:9-11, NIV).

Paul’s prayer is that love will continue to grow, or we could say the eyes of our heart will gain a greater power of sight. How does Paul pray that our love will see more and more clearly?

In Knowledge: Love sees what the eyes alone cannot see. Let’s make it our prayer that God will help us to know Him better, that we might see His unfailing mercy for us, the sustaining power of His Spirit in us, and His unfailing promises for all who know God as Father.

In Depth of Insight: Oh that we might see the truth. Lord, please help us see clearly the gospel of Christ and Your Word. Give me insight to see myself in the light of Your truth.

In Discernment: Love has vision to see the difference between what is right and wrong. The eyes of the heart see what is best with a passion to hold onto it while letting go of the inferior pleasures of this world.

In Relationships: The eyes of the heart are pure and blameless. No one finds fault or points an accusing finger, because love sees the way to bring restoration and healing to broken relationships.

In Righteousness: The eyes of the heart see the way to follow in Christ’s footsteps. Love gives no place to sin because Jesus is seen always before the believer, leading the way. Without love I stumble and fall blind to the entanglement of sin.

Love never fails. Love will continue to grow more and more with clarity of vision. In the eyes of the heart, love isn’t blind. The Holy Spirit at work in your heart can give you incredible vision.

— D. Greg Ebie is senior pastor of Praise Assembly of God in Garrettsville, Ohio, and an author of Daily Bread devotionals.