​Being able to see is a blessing we often take for granted.  Opening our eyes every morning to a cheerful sunrise or watching the brightness of fireworks against a black sky has a way of making us feel good inside; but when the light is taken away it is scary and dangerous. The reason is because without light there is only darkness.   
Jesus said, “The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light” (Mat. 6:22).  The idea is when our eyes are healthy and clear, they allow us to enjoy a world of light, even in darkness—just as healthy eyes of faith allow us the same spiritual benefit. Following Jesus means we don’t abide in darkness (John 12:46) and we reflect His light as lights in the world (Mat. 5:16).  Eyes that can clearly see the Truth allow the light of God to permeate our entire lives (Mat. 13:16). 
The flip side of this is that eyes without light (those impaired in some way) are full of darkness: “But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness” (Mat. 6:23).  Remember, “God is light, and in him is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5). Eyes without the light of the Gospel have been blinded by Satan (2 Cor. 4:4). It happens when sinners choose not to believe (John 12:40) and it happens when Christians are lacking in spirituality having forgotten the blessing of old sins being cleansed (2 Pet. 1:5-9).
So, healthy eyes reveal bright souls, and evil eyes reveal dark souls.  The eyes have always been seen as “a window to the soul” and it is up to each person what we allow into our souls.  The evil eye directly relates to greed or stinginess (Mat. 6:19-24) and can be full of various lusts causing one to keep sinning (1 John 2:16; 2 Pet. 2:14). To continue with eyes of darkness means an eternity of darkness (2 Pet. 2:17). This is why it is so important to keep our eyes focused on light.  The commands of the Lord will always enlighten our eyes and give us strength (Psa. 19:8).  The goal is to have no part of us dark (Luke 11:36) so our eyes will open to an eternity with the “bright and morning star” (Rev. 22:16).   
~Derrick Coble
 

There are some things that we know are truly impossible.  In math, it is impossible to create a square circle or divide by zero.  In life, it is impossible for anyone to live on the earth forever or to survive without sleep, food, and water. In science, it is impossible to time travel or to build an object that is indestructible. God has put certain laws into motion that makes these things (and many more) beyond our ability to achieve. But, what happens when Jesus commands us to do something that is seemingly impossible? The command is simply this: “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect” (Mat. 5:48). The first thought we have is, How does God expect perfection of me? We know that Jesus was perfect in every way (Heb. 4:15) and that God Himself is perfect (Deu. 32:4); but, we have all sinned and destroyed any possibility of perfection (Rom. 3:23).  So, what was Jesus really commanding?
 The command is similar to another command of God from the Law of Moses: “Thou shalt be perfect with the Lord thy God” (Deu. 18:13).  This command was in relation to the abominations of the idolatrous nations that Israel would encounter.  In essence, God was saying, “I want you to undefiled and blameless of the guilt of these sins.  Don’t participate in their evil ways.”  This is how Noah was considered “perfect in his generations” (Gen. 6:9) when the world was filled with wickedness.  This is why God told Abram to “walk before me, and be thou perfect” (Gen. 17:1). This is how David could say, “God is my strength and power: and he maketh my way perfect” (2 Sam. 22:33).  None of these men were perfect in the absolute sense of the word, but all of them knew they could (and should) follow after the ways of the God of Heaven by abstaining from ungodly influences. When they did this, they could be whole, complete, and undefiled before God—that is, “perfect.”
This is what Jesus desires for all of us who follow His footsteps today (1 Pet. 2:21). The command comes after telling us to let our lights shine in good works to glorify the Father (Mat. 5:16), and to handle anger, lust, divorce, oaths, retaliation, and our enemies all in a different way than those in the world would handle these things. So, just as God expected Israel to be separate and undefiled from the ungodly influences around them, Jesus expects the same for us.  This is why Paul said, “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Rom. 12:2).  Our goal is to be blameless before the Lord when He comes again (2 Pet. 3:14).  We will not be sinlessly perfect, but we have a Savior whose perfect blood cleanses us (Rev. 1:5).  Through Him, we can be complete and mature (perfect) to make wise choices in avoiding evil.  The command sounds impossible, but is entirely possible as we do our best to be separate from the world (2 Cor. 6:17). 
​~Derrick Coble