"Cut It Off" and Find Peace

29If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. 30And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body to go into hell. ~ Matthew 5:29-30 

Jesus told a crowd of followers and curious people that if a part of their body caused them to sin, they were to “tear it out” or “cut it off!”  Seems pretty drastic to anyone listening.  Did Jesus really mean to do just that?  Probably not.  Jesus often spoke figuratively when trying to get a point across. 

What Jesus was trying to get at is that if there is something in your life that habitually leads you to sin – get rid of that “thing” to keep from sinning.  If you have an alcohol problem, don’t hang around in bars or places that serve alcohol.  If you have “friends” with bad habits that rub off on you, don’t “hang” with those friends – find new ones that don’t have those particular habits.  If certain printed material, websites or movies create sinful urges – don’t waste your time looking at them.  Find things and people to be around that will not tend to lead you to places that draw you into sin.  You will find that your life will become much happier when you fill your life with the good things and good people that God wants you to fill your life with than to continually follow down a sinful path that will never fulfill you with the love and peace that Christ has to offer. 

Do you have habits that need to be removed from your life to get closer to God?  What can you do to remove them?  Start today to find a better path that will lead you to the peace and happiness Christ has waiting for you! 

Prayer 

Dear Jesus,

We are such weak creatures when it comes to sinfulness.  Help us to remove the things in our lives that lead us away from You so that we can find the love and peace waiting for us when we follow You.  Amen.

~ Wendy Miller