[Jesus continued.] “If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life maimed or crippled than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into eternal fire. And if your eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell.”
(Matthew 18:8-9 NIV)
In a time with few, if any, social services or protection for those who were maimed, handicapped, or disabled, to lose a limb or an eye could mean being sentenced to a life of begging, poverty, shame, and ridicule. Even now, none of us would like to lose one of our senses or one of our limbs. Jesus uses these shocking statements to awaken his disciples, and to rattle us, out of our lethargy. Sin is not to be taken lightly. Sin leads to judgment and the eternal fire. As bad as it would be to lose a body part, it would be much worse to lose our souls in eternal punishment.
Jesus’ words are sharp, radical, and important. There is at least one thing more important than health and mobility – our salvation. So let’s not let anything, or any temptation, or any sin distract our hearts from the character of Jesus!
Today’s Prayer Holy God, I do not want to let anything separate my heart, my allegiance, and my behavior from the character you desire. I thank you for the grace of Jesus that has made me righteous, and I commit myself to reflecting that righteousness in my daily life. I ask for the strength and guidance of your Spirit to help me fulfill this commitment. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
