Psalm 101:3 “I will not look with approval on anything that is vile. I hate what faithless people do; I will have no part in it.”
We live in a world where our eyes are constantly being invited to look at things that can slowly shape our hearts. What we see may seem harmless at first, but what we repeatedly look at can become familiar, what becomes familiar can become acceptable, and what becomes acceptable can eventually influence the way we live. This is why holiness also involves what we choose to look at.
Job understood the seriousness of this. He said: “I made a covenant with my eyes not to look lustfully at a young woman.” — Job 31:1
Job did not wait until temptation had taken control of him. He made a decision beforehand about what he would allow his eyes to entertain. His eyes needed boundaries because he understood that what enters through them can affect what happens within. Having holy eyes does not mean we can avoid seeing everything that is sinful in the world. We live in the world and cannot control everything that comes before our eyes. Holiness is about what we choose to look at, what we continue to look at, and what we allow ourselves to enjoy.
Sometimes the danger is not in the first glance but in the second look. The decision to continue looking at unhealthy things is only the danger. The world may say, “Everyone watches it. Everyone does it. It is harmless.” But a disciple asks a different question: “Can I look at this and still keep my heart devoted to Christ?” Psalm 101:3 is a powerful personal commitment: “I will not look with approval on anything that is vile.” David understood that holiness sometimes requires us not only to reject sin, but to turn our eyes away from it. Our eyes are gifts from God. Let us therefore use them to notice people who need love, to see opportunities to serve, to appreciate God's creation, to read His Word, and most importantly, to fix our eyes on Jesus.
“Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.” — Hebrews 12:2
Reflection:
What am I allowing my eyes to repeatedly look at? Is there anything I need to stop watching, stop seeking, or turn away from?
Application:
Make your own covenant before God today. Decide what you will not intentionally look at, and when something unholy comes before your eyes, turn away rather than entertain it.