See to it!

I asked several people the following question. “What specific words did your parents or  boss say so that you knew it wasn’t a suggestion but an expectation to be fulfilled?”
These are some of the responses I received:

 

• I need you to do this now!
• Make it happen!
• I need you to switch your priority.
• Did you get that!?
• I’m not asking you; I am telling you.
• Don’t come in until it’s done.

Jesus used the words, “See To It.”

Luke 11:33-36 states, “No one lights a lamp and puts it in a place where it will be hidden or under a bowl. Instead he puts it on its stand, so that those who come in may see the light. Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eyes are good, your whole body is also full of light but when they are bad, your body also is full of darkness. See to it then that the light within you is not darkness. Therefore, if your whole body is full of light, and no part of it dark, it will be completely lighted. As when the light of a lamp shines on you.”

I don’t know about you, but I typically come away from this passage thinking that my job is to make sure that I am shining my light to others.

However, as I examined this passage closely, that happens naturally unless I try to hide it. I discovered the job that I need to make happen, make priority, and not stop until I do, is to let good light enter my eyes. If this job is done well, I can be sure that there is no darkness in me and the light from my lampstand of life will be good.

See to it. That is what Jesus says. It is not a suggestion. He expects us to carry this job out and get it done. I immediately think of that old Sunday School song, “Be careful little eyes what you see. For the Father from above is looking down in love, so be careful little eyes what you see.”

What is the source of good light? What is the source of bad light? As we let good or bad light in, it influences the type of light that we shine.

I believe Philippians 4:8 gives us a running start in finding good light, “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” These “things” qualify the source of good light.

The light I let in affects the type of light I shine. It also affects me internally. Good light produces peace. Bad light produces turmoil. When I let bad light in it riles me. I can get so lit up by bad light that I act as if my hair is on fire! This type of light fills me with angst and darkness. That is when I shine bad light on others.

I had to ask myself, what bad light am I letting in? My answer may be totally different than yours. But today, in 2025, too much political news fills me with bad light. It is important to be informed but not to the point of saturation. After reading this passage and talking to God about it, I had to cut way back in how much political news I was absorbing. I also discovered that if my YouTube searching,  television viewing, Facebook scrolling is encroaching or dominating my downtime, it is bad light.

May I ask, what bad light are you letting in? Are you drawn to this light in search of peace or fulfillment? This passage has been a huge challenge. Strangely enough, I subconsciously thought that knowing more political news was going to remove the angst of what is happening in our country and around the world. I sensed a tug of war in my spirit. After accepting the direction this passage gave me, I eventually limited the amount of political information I was letting into my brain. It was settling to once again pursue God and His ways as a true source of my peace.

I heard Jesus loud and clear when he said, “See To It.” I know it is not a suggestion and it is for my good and the good of those who fall under my light. Because of my love and devotion to Jesus I want to make it happen, make it my priority and not stop until it’s done.  I believe this job will be a never-ending quest until I see my Jesus face to face. I will be constantly evaluating the light, I let in. Who knows what I will evaluate as bad light next year, five or ten years from today? But for now, I’m going to reject the bad light I have identified and look for good light that will fill my body and shine out and on to others. Let’s get the job done, my fellow Christian. Is the light shining from your lampstand of life good or bad? Qualify the source of your light and SEE TO IT!

Lynn Jackson
CO-Founder
Thrive Leadership Foundation
journeylynn@gmail.com