Our scripture this morning is Matthew 5:27-30.
You have heard the commandment that says, ‘You must not commit adultery.’ But I say, anyone who even looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. So if your eye—even your good eye—causes you to lust, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your hand—even your stronger hand—causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.
Jesus has some tough teaching for us here. His lessons cover both ends of the human behavior scale, faith and sin. In this passage He tells us how serious sin can be to our relationship with God and each other.
While He speaks of adultery and lust (which are part of coveting what we don’t have merely for our pleasure), this could apply to any sin by which we are tempted. His analogy of cutting off a body part if it causes us to sin shows how much our actions mean to God – “It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell” (v. 30).
God wants us to be whole in our hearts and spirits, loving Him and our neighbor as we love ourselves. Sin causes us to put ourselves above everything and everyone else. We must be ready to give up sin in our lives, cutting off activities and even relationships that lead us away from God’s love and His plan for us to be saved.
Gracious God, we are sorry for the things we let interfere with our connection to You and Your creation. Help us to be strong in the face of temptation, turning to You and away from sin. Amen.