Be careful little eyes

There is an old children’s song that goes “oh be careful little eyes what you see...” The point of the song is to remind us that we should guard every part of our lives. Little did I know how that song would become applicable on this trip. We’ve learned a ton about faith and obedience. We’ve also seen what happens when people do what is right in their own eyes. We saw more of that today. 

This morning started off with joyous celebration! One of our Forge brothers, Rylan, got to ask the woman he loves (Lexi- whom we love as well) to be his bride. As the sun was rising and revealing the Sea of Galilee, Rylan was on one knee (pretty epic engagement, huh?) I was lucky enough to wake up in time to hide behind a vending machine and watch it all happen! We all couldn’t have thought of a better start to our morning. 

 After breakfast, we met for our morning devotional time. Jared told us that today would be a hard day. Not in a physical way, as the previous days have been, but in an emotional day. He pleaded with us to prepare our hearts for the weight that this day would bring. We didn’t really know what that meant. 

 Our first stop was at replica 1st century village called Katzrin. We were able to try some fresh olive oil and rosemary hand cream. Ronin explained how houses were built in those times and allowed us to enter in to what a standard home would look like. All 50 of us crammed into this small, dark space to hear the teaching of the Word. Dex opened our eyes to a text that we are all familiar with. Mark 2:1-12 gives us the account of the paralytic man being lowered into a house that Jesus was in. He asked what the feeling of those in the house would have been: frustration, anger, entitlement, contempt. “Who are these people that they think they can do this?” “Don’t they know what I did to deserve my spot in this house?” “This man is undesirable and undeserving of Jesus!” But imagine how desperate this man must have been to just be near to Jesus. Think about the lengths his friends went to trying to heal their friend in need. Is this our attitude? Are we desperate for the people around us to be near to Jesus? Or are we concerned with our own comfort, our own “experience” with Jesus? Dex, in the way only Dex can, communicated that we were all at one point the paralytic. We were all desperate for Jesus, and just like he did in Mark, he saved us. 

After this we loaded back on the bus to head to our next stop. We walked along a beautiful path with green trees and a rushing river. Except this land didn’t have such a beautiful story. This land was Tel Dan. If you don’t know much about the story of the tribe of Dan, I recommend you do some research. Dan never entered into the land that was allotted to them because they were afraid of the Philistines. Instead, Judges 18 tell us that they slaughtered a “quiet and unsuspecting people” and took their land. They did what was right I their own eyes. From this point, Dan would fall into pagan idolatry and worship. But be careful not to judge the Danites so quickly. Do you ever value comfort over the commands of God? I know that there are times I do...

From there we walked further along the path until we came across the ruins of what looked to be a temple. But remember, Dan fell into pagan worship, meaning this temple was used to rebel against Yahweh, to believe that something was greater than He. At this point it started raining pretty hard, a fitting weather for the subject. In 1 Timothy 1:18-19 Paul tells Timothy that “some have made shipwreck of their faith” How does this happen? Do they make huge mistake that causes their to faith to spiral? Or is it one compromise after another? Could it be that they are just 1 degree off of their course? 1 degree doesn’t seem like much, but can be catastrophic. A wandering faith eventually becomes a shipwreck faith. What is your 1 degree? The only way to know your off course is to have someone tell you. Community is so important, do you have community that can see your 1 degree? I sure hope so. 

Our day wasn’t over, as all of our days are jam packed! We arrived at our next location and went on a decently long hike along a raging Jordan River. We saw beautiful waterfalls and enjoyed the sunshine and laughter of friends. We came upon a town that was known as Caesarea Philippi, maybe you’ve heard of it? This is the place where Jesus asked his disciples what could be his most important question to them “Who is this that you say that I am?” (Matthew 16:13-28) To give you context, this place was where the worship of the Greek god Pan occurred. Worshipping Pan involved ritualistic sacrifice of goats. It was a scary and dark place. Why did Jesus ask his disciples this question here? Because it’s easy to profess faith in Christ where you are comfortable. It’s a different story when you’re surrounded by pagan worship. Chris did a great job teaching us that if Jesus really is who he claimed to be, he has the right to every part of our lives. Then we were able to see the actual “gates of hades” that would not (and will not) be able to overcome Christ’s church. 

Our final stop of the day was at Omrit, what is believed to be 1 of 3 temples that Herod built in honor of the Emperor. Jared walked us through the context of what was going on in history just prior to the arrival of Christ. This is important when understanding further the significance of the claims Jesus made. 

Dinner this evening was a special time. If you don’t know, honoring the Sabbath (or Shabbat) is very important in Jewish culture. This is a day that is used for rest and reflection on God and his promises. Shabbat begins at sundown on Friday. It usually begins with a big dinner and celebration with family and loved ones. We were able to break bread and remind ourselves of the way that the Lord provides for us. A good pick me up from a day filled with reminders of what happens when humans do what is right in their own eyes and do not walk in the way of the Lord. 

 Oh be careful little eyes what you see. Today we say what happens when humans do what is right in their own sight. When their 1 degree is off. I hope you are able to reflect on what your 1 degree is. Is there anything you are not fully giving to the Lord? I encourage you to read Deuteronomy 8 and remember the Lord your God. Man I’m thankful to be here, but more thankful that my God had shown his grace and mercy to me. I hope you are able to see how much He loves you and cares for you

Shabbat Shalom,
Marshall Wallace