September 2026: Need an Eye Doctor?

Published on 09/01/2026 by Dr-Shirley-Cheng.

On what do you have your eye set?

Jesus said, "The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is sound, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is evil, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!" (Matthew 6:22-23, WEB)

The eye acts as the lamp of the body. Like a lamp, it directs the body toward what it focuses on. If your eye, representing your mind, is "sound"--if it single-mindedly focuses on the things of God--then your whole body will be full of light (goodness), as your body will store up heavenly treasures. But if your eye is evil and focuses on the world, then there won't be any "light" (any goodness) in your body, for your body will pursue earthly treasures. In short, it's your "eye" (mind) that dictates your way of life.

As Jesus' disciples, we must look heavenward, with our eye focused on God and Jesus. We must not look toward the things that the world offers. If we do not control our eye, our bodies will go astray and miss the target that God wants us to aim for: a sacred relationship with Him.

Single-Minded Focus on Heavenly Treasures

"No one can serve two masters" (Matthew 6:24)

Some people in Jesus' audience probably thought, "Why can't I have both earthly treasures and heavenly treasures? I have two eyes, so I can focus one eye on each." (Are you thinking of the same thing?) But Jesus corrected this thinking by teaching, "No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other; or else he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You can't serve both God and Mammon." (Matthew 6:24)

We are unable to serve two masters whole-heartedly when those masters are opposite in nature or stand for opposing things. We would end up loving one and not the other. Indeed, Christians have two Masters: Yahweh God and Jesus Christ. We can and should serve them with complete devotion because they are of the same character and share the same will for us, as Jesus is the exact spiritual image of God. Our total devotion to them will produce no conflict.

However, we cannot serve both God and Mammon. "Mammon" is a pagan idol of riches, the epitome of greed. Yahweh God is light and Mammon is darkness; they are complete opposites. Thus, it's impossible for us to serve God and Mammon together with undivided devotion. If we love God, it's impossible to love Mammon, because God hates greed and we must likewise. If we love Mammon, we cannot serve God, because loving Mammon goes against God's will and we'd make ourselves enemies of God.

Now, we must understand that earthly wealth itself is not sinful. We do not sin if we become materially wealthy. But earthly wealth becomes Mammon when we trust it or love it above God. We love material wealth above God when we fail to use it to benefit humanity. If we hoard our wealth and not share it with those who are in need, then it shows that we worship Mammon, not God.

The Worship That Chases Away Our Anxiety

After he stated the principle of Matthew 6:24, Jesus said, "Therefore I tell you, don't be anxious for your life: what you will eat, or what you will drink; nor yet for your body, what you will wear." (Matthew 6:25) The "therefore" connects these words with what he just said previously: we cannot serve both God and Mammon. We cannot serve these two opposing masters, therefore we must not worry about our lives. To be anxious for our lives is a violation of the principle of Matthew 6:24. How so?

When we are consumed with worry about our lives, this shows that we are not serving God. Serving God entails putting faith in Him and trusting Him to meet all our needs. To worry about our needs means that we do not have faith in God. To be consumed with anxiety is to serve Mammon because it shows we believe only money can meet our needs. To worry is to put our trust in money instead of believing God will make a way for us.

In light of this, it's unfitting for Christians to be anxious about what they'll eat or wear. An "anxious Christian" is a contradiction because we cannot serve both God and Mammon. We will love one and hate the other--not value them equally. A Christian who constantly worries shows that they put their faith in money over God. But a Christian who trusts in God for every need demonstrates that they serve God, not Mammon.

The Faith That Conquers Fear

We are physical creatures that require physical sustenance for our survival. Everyone labors in order to meet life's necessities such as food, clothing, and shelter. Work takes up a majority of our lives so that it often feels as though we live to work. Many people are consumed with anxiety about how they can meet their needs for tomorrow. Would they still be able to work a day, a month, or a year from now? Would they always be able to provide for their family?

Being the Agent of creation, Jesus knows exactly what we need and why we can get so anxious at times. He knows that his disciples experience the same anxiety over their needs as the world does. To ease our anxiety or chase them away altogether, he pointed out several principles that all of us should take to heart:

a) Life is more than food and the body is more than clothing: When we worry about what we will eat or wear, we're acting as though food and clothing are all there is to life. But the truth is that life is so much more than these. Food and clothing are necessities, but not the exclusive components of life.

b) We're more valuable than birds of the sky and flowers of the fields which God takes care of: Yahweh provides food for birds, which don't sow or reap. He clothes the grass with beautiful flowers that far surpass the regal beauty of King Solomon. If God provides for His animals and fields, He will do more so for humans who are much more valuable. God even knows the count of hairs on our heads!

c) Worrying does not solve our problem: Jesus rhetorically asked, "Which of you, by being anxious, can add one moment to his lifespan?" (Matthew 6:27) What good does being anxious do us? Would being anxious somehow put food on our table, clothing on our bodies, or days in our lifespan? Not only does anxiety not do us any good but it also adds to our trouble.

d) Yahweh knows what we need: Pagans who don't know God worry about what they will eat or drink or wear. As Christians, we have no reason to do so, because we ought to know that God will provide for our needs. We must have faith in Him to take care of us just as He takes care of the birds that don't sow and the flowers of the field that don't spin. So long as we seek His Kingdom and righteousness first, we will not only receive His Kingdom, but all of life's necessities will be added to us as well. In short, our Father takes care of His children, and we must believe this by living in faith.

After reading Jesus' words, we now think: is Jesus telling us to kick back, relax and wait for God to feed us? Should we replace our work clothes with comfy pajamas, lounge on our couches, watch TV all day and wait for food and other necessities to rain down from heaven?

Well, does God reach down to literally hand over food to the birds and the chicks in their nests? Of course not. The birds still actively fly about to look for crunchy bugs to feed themselves and their hatchlings, while God provides those bugs for them to find. Likewise, we should diligently work--God will not magically rain down our food. When we work honestly with our hands and trust in God to provide for our needs, then God will take care of us by blessing our efforts. Genuine faith is active trust, not laziness in the guise of belief.

How about those without jobs? I'd say: continually pray and seek after God's Kingdom first. This is the ultimate key: seeking God's Kingdom first, as we will soon see.

God's Kingdom: Our Priority and Resolution

Jesus exhorted his disciples, "But seek first God’s Kingdom, and his righteousness; and all these things will be given to you as well." (Matthew 6:33)

Our Lord admonished us to seek God's Kingdom and righteousness above all things. When we do, all of our needs for food and clothing will be met as well. This is a divine promise.

But note this is a conditional promise. We must put God first, and then and only then will our life's necessities be met. We are to trust in God to provide for us when we sincerely seek after Him. We cannot expect divine provisions when we ignore God or do not acknowledge Him. Therefore, this is where many people go wrong: they search for work or try to work for food by their own effort without considering God, so they lack divine blessings in their lives. Indeed, there are those who are wealthy but have no thought for God--do not envy them, for their prosperity will last only this lifetime at most, not forever. What we need is eternal treasures, not just food to sustain us momentarily.

How can we seek God's Kingdom and His righteousness first?

To seek Yahweh God's Kingdom and His righteousness above everything else, we must live by His will, principles and precepts in both attitude and actions. His righteousness is summed up in all His Torah to us. Anything that is righteous is in accordance with His morality and justice. God is the One who has the exclusive right and authority to set and enforce the standard of morality since He is the Creator and Lawgiver of the universe.

Specifically, here's how to seek God's Kingdom and righteousness as our number one priority:

a) First, one has to accept the Gospel message and receive Jesus as their personal Savior and Lord. This is the ultimate will of God for everyone, as He "desires all people to be saved and come to full knowledge of the truth." (1 Timothy 2:4) When one accepts the gospel of Christ, one spiritually enters the Kingdom of God, wherein they will physically reside upon the future resurrection of the righteous.

b) Once a person has accepted the gospel, they will need to live by Yahweh's principles and precepts to live a righteous life. Simply believing in Jesus is not enough; one will not enter God's Kingdom with the faith of demons. Note what Jesus said: "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter into the Kingdom of Heaven; but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven." (Matthew 7:21)

When God's Kingdom is our number one priority, we ought to do our best to live according to Kingdom principles taught by Jesus Christ, who will be God's appointed King for one thousand years. For instance, when Jesus Christ told us to forgive others when they say they have repented, we should obey. When He commanded us to honor our father and mother, we should do according to His commandment, which comes from Yahweh. When we break any of God's laws, we must quickly confess to God of our sin and ask for His forgiveness.

c) Living by Kingdom principles and precepts includes fulfilling the Great Commission to spread the Gospel to the uttermost parts of Earth. We need to take up the Great Commission as part of the duties of Kingdom residency. We can and should spread God's gospel through both active and silent witnessing, such as exhibiting a Kingdom attitude. Such an attitude is mild, gentle, meek, and loving. In other words, we are to aim to have the humble attitude of Christ. This development of Christ-like nature is done by God in teamwork, where we work with Him by yielding our life to His will, fully surrendering ourselves to Him to be molded by Him.

d) We must make God's Kingdom our main prayer focus. Jesus taught us to pray, "Let your Kingdom come. Let your will be done, as in heaven, so on earth." (Matthew 6:10) This should be our main concern for not only ourselves but all of humanity, past, present and future, for it's only when God's Kingdom comes will all darkness, suffering, and evil end, forever.

e) Focus on what is eternal, such as righteousness and justice, rather than on worldly things, such as money and fame. Recall what Jesus exhorted us: "Don't lay up treasures for yourselves on the earth, where moth and rust consume, and where thieves break through and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consume, and where thieves don't break through and steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." (Matthew 6:19-21) We lay up treasures in heaven by cultivating good spiritual qualities, such as love, peace, patience, endurance, kindness, gentleness, and faith, and maintaining our fellowship with Yahweh by doing what is righteous in His sight.

By taking these five steps, we will be actively seeking God's Kingdom and righteousness first. Then now and in the future, all of our needs and godly desires will be met by Yahweh and Jesus.

Living in Today

Jesus said, "Therefore don't be anxious for tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Each day’s own evil is sufficient." (Matthew 6:34)

We are to focus on today and not fret about tomorrow. When tomorrow comes, it'll bring its own concerns. Each day's concerns and troubles are enough to deal with in one day.

However, this does not mean that we shouldn't plan for tomorrow. We are to live responsibly today to maximize tomorrow's potential. Yet, no matter how meticulously we plan, we can never plan ahead sufficiently, for life is full of twists and turns that no one can predict. Only God knows what the future holds. We're just to live each day in faith with tomorrow in mind, doing the best we can with whatever we have, all the while trusting in our Father for our daily bread without fretting about the next day.

How do you take each day? Do you look heavenward with trust in God to sustain you, or to Mammon to solve all your problems? Indeed, money can buy what we need to survive, but seeking God first helps us get what we need forever, not just temporarily. God is the One who guides our steps and blesses the work of our hands, so that we can make a living without fretting or sinning in the process. Trust your Father with all your heart and acknowledge Him in all your ways, and He will straighten your path (Proverbs 3:5-6).

Set your eye heavenward and seek the greatest "Eye Doctor"--our Lord Jesus, who will renew your mind to enable you to shine forth brilliantly as a light that draws the world to God!


~*~ Q&A with Dr. Shirley ~*~

Question: What is the Gospel message?

Answer: The gospel message is quite simple:

Yahweh God Almighty our Creator and Life-Giver hates all sins, and every person is a sinner from birth with no exception, so all deserve God's eternal wrath and condemnation. We all are hopelessly doomed. But wait, this is where God's pure grace kicks in: He has made provision for everyone's forgiveness through His Son Jesus Christ. Once a person comes to trust in Jesus alone as their Lord and Savior for their salvation, believing that he is the Son of God who came to Earth as a flesh-and-blood human being, died for our sins, was buried, resurrected on the third day, and ascended back to heaven, God will forgive that person of all their sins, impute Jesus' righteousness on them, and give them the Holy Spirit that helps them live a whole new life that's pleasing to God. Then in the future, all True Christians will be resurrected whereupon they will live forever with God and Jesus. On the other hand, those who willfully reject Jesus as their Lord and Savior will also be resurrected, but they will be judged and then sentenced to eternal death, with no chance of a resurrection ever again. Without accepting Jesus when given the opportunity, every person is lost, helpless, hopeless, and destined to eternal death.

Believing in Yahweh and His Son Jesus Christ and walking according to Yahweh’s will is the only way to salvation (eternal life) for anyone who believes. Each person's eternal destiny is up to that person. Each of us has one decision to make: eternal life or eternal death? This decision is the most important decision we'll ever make, as it determines our eternal destiny. We mustn't delay in deciding, for upon our passing or when Jesus returns (whichever comes first), the door of opportunity for us to decide and repent will close.

However, believing in God is the easy part; loving Him is the hard part. Only when we love God will we have the desire to live according to His will. The Demons believe in God and they shudder (James 2:19), but are they going to receive eternal life? No, unless they sincerely repent. Regardless of the sins we have ever committed, if we repent and believe, we will all be saved.

Now that you know the Gospel message, pass it on to bring the best gift to humanity!

Do you have Bible questions and want answers? Contact Dr. Shirley and she'll be happy to answer your questions by the grace of God.

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