I Will Set No Worthless Thing Before My Eyes, But I Have Set The Lord Always Before Me!

A series of meditations on how

To draw closer to Jesus by setting

Your affections on God alone.

“But his delight is in the law of the LORD,

and on his law he meditates day and night.”

(Psalm 1:2 ESV)

Set no worthless thing before your eyes

“I will set no worthless thing before my eyes... I will know nothing of evil” (Psa 101:3-4).

Meditation 1: There are many “worthless” things that clamor for your heart. But David said “I will set before my eyes no “vile” thing...I will have nothing to do with evil” (NIV); or as the KJV puts it, “I will set no “wicked” thing before my eyes.” In the NT we are admonished to “Abstain from all appearance of evil (1Th 5:22 KJV).

To accomplish this:
First of all, you must actively will to set no worthless thing before your eyes; it’s not something that will take care of itself. You must purpose in your heart to not set worthless things before your eyes. Be thorough and don’t be content to allow some worthless things to remain; rather, strive to set NO worthless thing before your eyes!

Secondly, to “set” anything “before the eyes” is to fix your affections on something as an end in itself; to set your heart upon something as a goal in sight, as something worthy to be desired or attained.

Thirdly, what is a ‘worthless” thing?  By definition, something is considered worthless when there is no intrinsic or lasting value in it; or when referred to a person it means there is no moral character or virtue in them, or there is no dignity or excellence in them. Anything that is of no real value toward advancing our love and affection for God and our fellow creatures in thought, word, or deed is a worthless thing! That has been my conclusion, but you must judge for yourself. Of course, anything that God has forbidden by word or in principle is a worthless thing.

Therefore, resolve in your heart this instant to set no worthless, vile, or wicked thing before you eyes! Let it be your purpose to abstain from all appearance of evil. Now, watch and pray so that you don’t fall into temptation (see Mat 14:38)!

Others around you may flirt with many questionable things of this world, but you “Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth” (Col 3:2 KJV).  It is the pure in heart that shall see God (see Mat 5:8)! In his presence is fullness of joy, and pleasure for evermore (see Psalm 16:11), while the joy of the hypocrite only lasts for a moment, and the enjoyment of the pleasures or sin are only for a season (Job 20:5; Heb 11:25). Set your heart, therefore, on things that have lasting joy and pleasure attached to them. Others around you may be absorbed with the things of the world, but don’t become distracted yourself by the shiny trinkets the world sets before your eyes, remember that they are worthless!

“As we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal”  (2Co 4:18 ESV).

Set the Lord always before yourself

“I have set the LORD always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken” (Psa 16:8).

Meditation 2: It is not enough to not be distracted and have your heart set on worldly and worthless things. Set your heart on God, and on the things and ways of God ALWAYS! Fix your love and affections on heavenly things “not on things on the earth.” Can the scripture be any plainer? And the promise--because he is at your right hand, the object of your trust and affection, no matter what storms of life assail you, no matter what weapon is formed against you, it shall not prosper, and you shall never be shaken!

To accomplish this:

First, think often of the worthiness of the Lord Jesus Christ.  He is truly worthy of all your love and affection when compared to the worthless things of the world that vie for your love. 

1. He is worthy because of who he is: He is God (John 1:1). He is the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords; All power has been given unto Him in heaven and in earth; all judgment has been given unto the Son; all things were created by Him and for him; He is the head of the body, the church; the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, and the first and the last; and He is the savior of all who trust in Him! He is worthy of all our praise and admiration, our worship and exaltation.

The glory He had with the Father before the world existed was veiled in human flesh, but on the Mountain of Transfiguration, Peter, James, and John had a brief glimpse of the glory of Christ when “he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light (Mat 17:2 ESV)!

Paul had a brief glimpse of the glory of the risen Christ while on the road to Damascus when “about noon a great light from heaven suddenly shone around him and he fell to the ground...and he could not see because of the brightness of the light” (see Acts 22: 6-11).

And Apostle John saw the glorified Jesus on the Isle of Patmos: “The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire, his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters... and his face was like the sun shining in full strength. When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead (Rev 1:14-17 ESV).

Isaiah saw him high and lifted up, before His incarnation. He said, “Woe is me, for I am undone...for my eyes have seen Lord.” So think often of how worthy Jesus is of your love and admiration. Also realize that in His holy presence that you too are “undone” because of your sins, and let that lead you to think that He is also worthy because of what he has done!

2. He is worthy because of what he has done: “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honor, and glory, and blessing (Rev 5:12). Worthy is the Lamb that was slain! Does he love you? Just think of the things He has suffered on your behalf! To be in the form of God and to humble Himself and take on human flesh is in itself beyond comprehension, but to die a tortuous death on the cross, crucified by wicked men, while carrying the burden of your guilt upon Himself, and in death, being forsaken of the Father because He bore your sins, suffering for you the punishment due to your sins, and you ask does He love me? All this He has done for you because you could not do it for yourself. When you were yet without strength, Christ died for you! Has there ever been a more pure and holy love than that of Christ? We only love Him because He first loved us!  My friend, if the love of God the Father in giving His beloved Son up to death on your behalf to redeem you from the penalty, the power, and ultimately, the presence of sin; and the love of the Lord Jesus Christ in willingly laying aside the glory He had with the Father, and suffering all that insults, cruel mocking,  horrible scourging, and the torment of the cross; if your heart is not melted by such a display of divine love, then you must be harder than a stone! Think of these things, and other related things to help you set the Lord ever before you as the only one who is worthy of the affection of your heart. Love Him most fervently, pant after His presence as the deer pants for the water! Let all things be vain and worthless, vile and wicked in comparison to His infinite worth!

Set your eyes toward God
“But my eyes are toward you, O GOD, my Lord; in you I seek refuge; leave me not defenseless” (Psalm 141:8).

Meditation 3: Would you be free from the dominion of sin? Would you be victorious over the power of temptation? Would you be the master over every thought? Would you be the ruler over the passions raging in your flesh? Do you hunger and thirst after righteousness? Are you vexed by sin and temptation and long to be free from their power? If you would do these things then let your eyes be toward God, your Lord. Will you gain the victory over the world, the flesh, and the devil though your own efforts, through the sheer effort of human willpower? If you could overcome your “flesh” by human strength, why was it that Christ, the beloved Son of the Father, had to suffer the agony of the cross to reconcile you to God? How is it that He died for you when you were yet without strength, if you could be holy by pulling yourself up by your own boot straps, by your own power and strength?

To accomplish this:

1. Set your eyes toward God. When the Israelites were bitten by fiery serpents in the wilderness, the Lord told Moses, "Make a fiery serpent and set it on a pole, and everyone who is bitten, when he sees it, shall live" (Num 21:8 ESV). There was no other way to be saved from death. They must look to the fiery serpent on the pole to live. If the fangs of sin have bitten deeply into you, than look to Jesus on the cross...he was made sin for you that you might become the righteousness of God in Him. Look to him in every temptation! God is faithful! He won’t allow you to be tempted beyond what you can stand, and he will make a way of escape so that you can endure every temptation. When you are sorely tempted or tried, “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith” (Heb 12:2 NIV)! Pray and cry out in faith, for Jesus is a faithful deliverer.

2. Seek refuge in Christ. The Jews had “cities of refuge” into which a man being pursued by the “avenger of blood” could flee to for safety. Are you hounded by temptations and trials? Do they relentlessly pursue you and seek your life? Does your conscience smite you over past sins? Does the accuser condemn you before the bar of your conscience? Then flee to your city of refuge...Jesus! In him you will be safe. Be like David who said of the Lord, “you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the enemy” (Psalm 61:3 ESV). Who or what enemy can prevail against our strong tower, our refuge? Did you know that “The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous man runs into it and is safe” (Pro 18:10 ESV).

The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies (Psalm 18:2-3 ESV).

May the LORD answer you in the day of trouble! May the name of the God of Jacob protect you! May he send you help from the sanctuary and give you support from Zion! (Psalm 20:1-2 ESV)

3. Have faith that God will not leave you defenseless. “God is my defense” (Psalm 59:9). He is not just the defense of Abraham, not just the defense of Moses, not just the defense of the Apostles; He is your defense as well. Own Him as such. Confess Him to be your defense. It is impossible to please God without faith, so have faith in HIM. Have faith in the promises of God, because it is God that has made the promises! Call upon him to be your defense in every temptation and trial, then believe that he is to YOU what He has promised to be to all those who trust in Him! Psalm 2:12 says, “Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him.”

But the Lord has been my defense, And my God the rock of my refuge. (Psalm 94:22 NKJV)

Be confident that you are not defenseless if your eyes are toward the Lord and your trust is in Him. You are not defenseless if you have sought a refuge in Him. You are not defenseless because “Our help is in the name of the LORD, who made heaven and earth” (Psalm 124:8 ESV). Call upon Him, He is your help! To say our help is in the name of the Lord is to say that our help is in the Lord Jesus Christ who has been given all power in heaven and earth. He is our defense. Nothing or no one can stand against Him. His name is above all names!

“Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father”(Php 2:9-11 KJVR).

Keep your eyes focused on the Lord

My eyes are ever toward the LORD (Psalm 25:15).

Meditation 4: This is a continuation of Psalm 141:8 mentioned above, only with the additional instruction to keep your eyes ‘ever’ toward the Lord. Do not ever allow your eyes, your heart, your mind, or your affections to wander from the Lord; rather, see that they are continually “fixed” and set on Him.

To accomplish this:

1. Keep your heart with all diligence. “Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life” (Pro 4:23 NASV). Jesus said, “What comes out of a man, that defiles a man” (Mar 7:20 NKJV). Pray that God would search your heart and reveal to you every evil and false way. Do not harbor any ill feelings toward anyone. Let the peace of God rule in your heart. Keep yourself in the love of God, in the love of His ways, His law, and His Word. By doing these things you will be ever keeping your eyes toward the Lord.

2. Keep your conscience free from offense toward God and man. A pure and clean conscience is a great treasure and something you should seek after with all vigilance. Do not allow anything to remain that defiles your conscience. Paul said, “I always take pains to have a clear conscience toward both God and man” (Act 24:16 ESV). If your conscience is clean, you will have confidence before God. If your conscience condemns you, examine your heart and ‘take pains” to have a clear conscience. In this way you will be ever keeping your eyes toward God in deference to His righteousness and holiness.

3. Pray to be kept from hidden faults and from presumptuous sins. “Who can discern his errors? Declare me innocent from hidden faults. Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me! Then I shall be blameless, and innocent of great transgression. Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer” (Psa 19:12-14 ESV)

Hidden faults there are in all of us and that is why those who think they are without fault and without sin are deceived. Pray to be forgiven from any secret or hidden fault that still lies in your bosom.

Presumptuous sins have been the destruction of countless souls. It is the grossest iniquity to presume upon the grace of God. Pray to be kept from recklessly sinning and seeking pleasure in unrighteousness, planning to sin and planning to repent after the deed is done. This is a great and dangerous evil. A person thinking that way is not right in his heart. Sometimes even a righteous man may fall to temptation and sin in a moment of weakness, but it is another thing all together to wallow in sin while professing to be a child of God. Anyone thinking that they are a child of God while continuing to practice sin is mistaken. Read the Bible with your doctrinal blinders off, forget the doctrines of men, and see what the Holy Spirit has to say about believers continuing to practice sin.

Having said that, let me hasten to add that there have been times when even the children of God have committed gross iniquity, the usual example is King David, who committed adultery with the wife of Uriah the Hittite, and then had Him sent to the front lines of battle where he was killed, after finding out that Uriah’s wife, Bathsheba, was with child. Even though God has chastised and delivered His children from terrible backslidings such as David experienced, do not rest or comfort yourself in such sins. Most often than not, presumptuous sins are a sign of a hardened and impenitent heart that has not been truly born of God. If you are in such a state, flee to the mercy seat now and cry out on your face to heaven that God would grant you a speedy repentance not to be repented of. All sinners in Zion should be afraid! God is no respecter of persons. A bare profession of belief in Jesus that is not accompanied by the evidence of a sanctified life is the surest thing of a false conversion. Be warned if you presume on God’s grace, you may well find Jesus saying “Depart from me you evildoer, I never knew you” on the day of judgment.

Pray for God to turn away your eyes from looking at worthless things

Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things; and give me life in your ways. (Psa 119:37)

Meditation 5: This is the final meditation and it is a prayer to be turned by God from worthless things, and to be given life in his ways.

To accomplish this:

Make it part of your daily prayer to ask God to deliver you from the evil of being attracted to, and having your heart set on, worthless things. Ask Him to lead you in every choice to choose the best, not just a good among goods, but the best choice even among many good things. Pray that God gives you wisdom and understanding, the discernment to know what things are profitable and what things are good to the building up of yourself, and the body of Christ. Pray that God will show you every worthless thing that holds any sway over your affections, and pray to be forgiven of all such things. Keep in the Word of God and in prayer. God’s Word is a lamp to your feet, and a light to your path. It will make you “wise unto salvation.” The prayer of faith is the conduit of spiritual blessings. Understanding, steadfastness, and strength all flow from the fountainhead of prayer.

~The End~