In the Sermon on the Mount, after stating that our affections must be fixed upon heavenly treasures, Jesus said, "The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!" (Matt. 6:22-23).

If a man's eyes are healthy, his view of the world will be plain and clear. If his eyes are bad, he cannot see things around him as they truly exist. Jesus is using this fact to convey an important point to us, but He isn't talking about physical eyesight.

What is your outlook on life? Do you see things through a physical lens or a spiritual one? The successful Christian must "walk by faith, not by sight" (2 Cor. 5:7). That is, we fashion our daily lives by spiritual truths and realities not necessarily seen by the physical eye, but clearly seen through eyes of faith. We see that God has not abandoned us. He is on His throne. He provides for our needs. He guides our steps toward Heaven with His word.

If we see our treasure as being in Heaven, we will arrange our lives so that Heaven becomes our home. We will walk according to Heaven's rule, seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. Like Mary, we will see the value of the Lord's teaching and choose that good part which will not be taken from us (Luke 10:42).

If we see our treasure as being here on earth, we will not take any purposeful steps toward Heaven. We will stumble in the darkness of this world. We will be like the people of Athens, blindly bouncing from one fad to another (Acts 17:21). Or, like Demas, we will forsake the Lord and his people for the fleeting pleasures of this world (2 Tim. 4:10) only to perish with it (1 John 2:15-17).

What is your outlook on life? Are you full of darkness or light?