Blurred Lines

 Isaiah 5:20 

"Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter." 

Have you ever gone to the eye doctor and had to read those tiny letters at the bottom of the eye chart? Then the optometrist asks you to decide if number one or number two is clearer? Sometimes despite being different, they would be too close to really decide. I always found it so hard to tell which one produced the clearest vision. Oftentimes, while trying to read the last letters at the bottom of the chart, it would seem that the letters would become blurry. It was hard to distinguish the A's from the F's and the B's from the C's and G's. But the reading of those lines at the bottom and distinguishing the letters, determined the strength of  the prescription needed for your glasses or contacts. 

Leaving the eye doctor was often a challenge if you received the puff of air in your eye to check for diseases or if you had your eyes dilated. Either procedure would leave your eyes watery and your vision blurred. When your vision is blurred, it's hard to see clearly. There is a lack of sharpness - you can't see the fine details or the small print. No wonder people perish from a lack of vision. It's difficult walking through the world not being able to see clearly. 

But honestly, that's how many of our lives have become lately. Our vision is lacking. The lines have been blurred. The prophet Isaiah says that we have called evil, good and good, evil. We've blurred the clear lines - the small print - the fine details that God has given us to honor and respect. And we see the results of those blurred lines daily. 

However, we make excuses for our actions when we do what we want to do and then say, "But God knows my heart." I am guilty. And indeed God does know our hearts. 1 Samuel 16:7 says "man looks on the outward appearance, but God looks at the heart." Jeremiah 17:9 further expounds - "the heart is deceitful (wicked) above all and who can know it?" Listen, we know what is in someone's heart based on what proceeds out of his/her mouth. Matthew 15:18 says "what comes out of the mouth comes from the heart and defiles them." Mark 7:21 - 23 further explains - "for it is from within, out of a person's heart, that evil thoughts come - sexual immortality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and defile a person." But our excuse is, "I just am, who I am." 

When we make excuses for our actions, we break down those clear cut lines of right and wrong. We must take God's word as our standard - not the word of our friends, the actions of our stars and idols, surely not radio, tv or social media, and sometimes not even some of our "Christian" leaders. You must pray to God and ask for discernment and guidance and then take time to meditate on the word, day and night. 

With our varied excuses, we've created a great insensitivity to sin. We  have called evil, good and good, evil. Our television shows, movies, and social media outlets, show premarital sex, murder, adultery, pornography and so much more and we have started to believe these things are okay. We have become desensitized to the evil things in the world and have called them good. 

Without the Bible and the leading of the Holy Spirit, as our moral standard and compass, we will live perpetually in the blurred fuzziness of the eye doctor visit - not clearly able to separate right from wrong and evil from good. If we don't stop and check ourselves, we are headed for a complete moral breakdown. 

I think a famous rapper eloquently summed it up, "Check yourself, before your wreck yourself!" In what areas of your life have you blurred the lines? Is it your relationship, your job, your walk with Christ? Open your eyes today and view your life as God views it. See evil for evil and good for good. Live in the RED today. Always remember that you are loved and forgiven.  

#Loved

#Forgiven

#SeeingEvilForEvilAndGoodForGood

Check out and Subscribe to Living in the Red ... VLOG!