Daily devotion- Blinkered lives.
1 Timothy 4:1–3
“Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron, forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from foods which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth.”
The phrase “having their own conscience seared with a hot iron” carries a striking picture. The word seared means cauterized—rendered numb, lifeless, or deadened. Just as flesh that is branded becomes hard and without feeling, so too can the human conscience be dulled until it no longer responds to truth.
Each time we affirm with our lips what we deny with our lives—whether others know it or not—we deaden our consciences a little more. This hardening grows when we live selfishly, ignoring the needs of those around us. Horses wear blinkers that restrict their vision so they only see straight ahead. Sadly, many believers wear “spiritual blinkers,” choosing to look only at their own lives and needs, while blocking out the people God has placed around them.
This attitude is increasingly common in today’s Church. Some slip into services unnoticed, avoid interaction, and leave before anyone can approach them. They treat fellowship as a burden instead of a blessing. Yet Christ did not call us to live in isolation. He has given us a family of believers to walk with, pray with, weep with, and rejoice with.
We need only look to the persecuted Church in places like Syria and across the Muslim world, where fellowship is not optional but vital. For them, gathering with fellow believers provides strength, courage, and hope in the face of suffering and danger.
Consider the parable of the Good Samaritan. Which character reflects your heart today? The priest who looked away? The Levite who passed by? Or the Samaritan who stopped, cared, and loved? One day, each of us may find ourselves in the place of the beaten man—desperate for a brother or sister in Christ to step in.
This week as you come to Church, ask the Lord to break any bad habits of self-centered living. Don’t slip by unnoticed. Instead, be the brother or sister in Christ God has called you to be, ready to embrace those He places in your path.