AMPUTATION
Matthew 18:7-9
“ ‘Woe to the world because of offenses. For offenses must come, but woe to that man by whom the offense comes. If your hand or foot causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you … If your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be case into hell fire.’ ”
Jesus was using hyperbole to make a point. My hand, foot, and eye are not moral nor immoral; they can be used for either good or evil. Merely amputating an appendage or destroying an eye will not keep a person from sinning because sin is a matter of the heart. I think His meaning was that if there is something that tempts me to sin, then I need to eliminate that from my life. I can live without it. Most things are neutral. They are not moral or immoral. It is how I uses them that causes offense. Facebook can be a good thing, but it is also used in evil ways. A knife can cut an apple or it can murder. The issue is not with the object but how I use it. Merely getting rid of it will not keep me from sin, unless I take care of the heart because “out of the heart proceed evil thoughts” (Matthew 15:19). I would rather live without the pleasure of some good thing in this life than spend eternity separated from God.
TODAY’S PRINCIPLE: It is better to live life without even good things, than to miss heaven.
[end]
Have a day “void of offense toward God” (Acts 24:16 KJV). Love you.
No comments:
Post a Comment