Scripture:
Matthew 18:8 And if your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life crippled or lame than with two hands or two feet to be thrown into the eternal fire.
Observation:
Jason sent a journal entry to me recently that spoke to this very thing and once I read this passage today it is all I could think about. Jesus is saying that sin is so serious and bad that is would be better to cut off your hand or foot or gouge out your eye if it causes you to sin. It is better to be lame and have eternal life than to be whole and live in sin.
Application:
I need to take sin very seriously.
When Jesus talks about sin, he uses examples that speak the seriousness of sin. As a culture, as a church and as an individual, I don’t think we take sin as serious as Jesus did. We categorize sin. We think some sins, like murder, are worse than others. We use phrases like a “little white lie” which is supposedly better than a different kind of lie. But Jesus takes sin serious. Earlier in Matthew he demonstrates this by discussing the meaning of adultery when he state that if anyone looks at a woman lustfully they have already committed adultery with her in his heart.
All sin is bad. All sin is serious. I need to examine my heart, my thoughts and my actions so I take sin as serious as Jesus.
Prayer:
Father, help me to understand the importance of living a pure, holy life. Help me to examine my heart and remove the sin from my life.