There are simply too many evil things in this world that especially with which the children of God must have nothing to do. The apostle Paul firmly warned Christians at Ephesus that we can have absolutely no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness (sin) (Ephesians 5:11). When we happen to see some of the wickedness in this world, our souls ought to cry out, “My eyes! My eyes! Oh my eyes!” The Psalmist wrote, “Turn away my eyes from looking at worthless things, And revive me in Your way” (Psalm 119:37 NKJV). In a sense, Christians need to resemble the proverbial three monkeys: “Hear no evil! See no evil! Speak no evil!” The modern proverb in the computing age, “Garbage in, garbage out,” is likewise true respecting what we focus our eyes upon in the ungodly world around us; the apostle Paul directed Christians at Philippi to focus their minds only on holy and noble things (Philippians 4:8). What we focus our attention upon in the ungodly world around us will determine for us who we are in this life and where we will spend eternity.

    There are some things in this ungodly world that are better left behind when one becomes a Christian. We must not look back with pleasure upon those things for which we have repented. It is not fitting that the disciple of our Lord begin to follow the Christ and then muse about the former, unregenerate life; as a matter of fact, such disciples are not fit for membership in the kingdom of God (Luke 9:62). Christians who turn back to the beggarly elements of the sinful world cast their own souls into a devil’s hell (Hebrews 10:38-39), and somehow, perhaps through degrees of punishment, the loss of the Christian’s soul will be worse than the loss of the same soul would have been had he never become a Christian (2 Peter 2:20-22).

    Though once we were part of the ungodly world, as Christians we no longer traffic in the ways of the world. The apostle Paul reminded Christians at Ephesus that though they had been companions of sinners they since were dead to sin (Ephesians 2:2-5). As a matter of fact, every faithful Christian (no matter how esteemed and useful of a servant) at one time was once a part of the unregenerate, ungodly world (Titus 3:3-7; 1 Peter 4:3).

    There are better things on which Christians can train their sight than on the ungodly world in which we live. We must look ahead rather than to the side or behind us as we march to heaven’s gates. The pilgrim, Abraham, had no home but sought one in eternal heaven (Hebrews 11:8-10, 13-16). No matter what wealth we may amass or what property deeds or titles we can hold in our hands, Christians are merely squatters on this mud ball of sin, awaiting a home in heaven with God (John 14:1-3; Hebrews 13:14). The Christian’s citizenship is in heaven (Philippians 3:20 ASV, NKJV).

    The journey toward heaven is worth any and all sacrifices one may experience along life’s way. The apostles of Christ asked our Lord regarding the sacrifices they were making to follow him, and Jesus assured them that they would be amply compensated (Matthew 19:27-29). All of the tears and sorrows of this life will be compensated (Revelation 21:4; 7:7).

    In conclusion, there is supposed to be a discernible difference between the children of God and the rest of the (unsaved) world (1 John 5:19; 1 Peter 2:9-12). This can only be true of Christians if they habitually turn away their eyes from looking at worthless things and trust in God to revive them (Psalm 119:37 NKJV).

    In a sense, the first revival process through which God transforms a soul is the forgiveness of past sins and addition of one to the body of Christ when he is baptized for the remission of sins (Acts 2:38, 41, 47; 22:16; 1 Corinthians 12:13). Subsequent revival by God removes the sins that Christians commit (1 John 1:7-10).

Works Cited

Merriam Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary. CD-ROM. Springfield: Merriam-Webster, 1993.