Daily Devotional – Thursday, September 8, 2022
And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.
Matthew 5:30 (NKJV)
Jesus taught His followers to appreciate the enormity and painful consequences of sin. He warned, “If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.” (Matthew 5:29).
If Your Right Hand Causes You to Sin…
Jesus extends the comparison to the limbs, saying, “And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.” (Matthew 5:30).
Of course, Jesus is not talking about the literal eye or hand. He is describing cherished sin. Just as plucking out the eye is painful, so is the process of separating oneself from sin. Faith has a painful cost. It demands separation from sin.
The Painful Cost of Sin
Because sin is intertwined with man, this excruciating separation is likened to being born again. God gives us power but we must make a deliberate and painful choice to detach from sin.
Jesus paid the ultimate price for sin by dying on the cross for you. Which eye or hand are you willing to lose for the sake of your salvation? Are you ready to forego worldly pleasures, some relationships, cherished sin and pride to inherit eternal life?
Prayer
Lord Jesus, empower me to make the painful decision of separating myself from cherished sin.
