“And if your hand or your foot is causing you to sin, cut it off and throw it away from you; it is better for you to enter life maimed or without a foot, than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into the eternal fire. And if your eye is causing you to sin, tear it out and throw it away from you. It is better for you to enter life with one eye, than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fiery hell” (Matthew 18:8-9).
Why carry around the things that hurt or maim you? The Lord is not talking about us disfiguring ourselves, but about letting nothing get in the way of our walk with Him. He who is faithful will lead us all the days of our life. Walk humbly with the Lord and let nothing get in the way. Yes, sometimes, like an amputation, it will be painful to see the old Adam killed, but the Lord will stop at nothing to save you.
Lord, I often do not take this faith You have given me as seriously as I should. Guide me in Your goodness to understand that You have given me the words of eternal life and that You will stop at nothing to prepare me to live that life. I need Your help to not only understand, but to realize that this is truly a matter of eternal life and death. Lead me so that I become willing to do whatever it takes to be Your disciple.
Holy Spirit, go deep within me and help me to begin to understand what it means to truly follow in the footsteps of Jesus. Help me to be willing to cut off whatever part of my life that gets in the way of me becoming what You will make of me. Aid me to learn how to keep my eye on the prize of my salvation and to boldly walk in the way of faith. Lead me to avoid all the obstacles that will get in the way. Amen.
