JESUS SPEAKING
“And if your right 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 go into hell” (Mathew 5: 30)
INSPIRED THOUGHTS
Sin is a very serious; it is defined as any act of disobedience against God. Sin causes a person to be separated from God, which leads to death. God is an eternal being, for whom there is no death. All living things are born, and eventually die; this was not always the case. In the beginning of creation, Adam and Eve existed in the garden in complete fellowship with God; they were able to share God’s eternal nature as their own. They knew neither death, nor disobedience. God gave them a simple command saying, “Of every tree in the garden you may freely eat, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it, you shall surely die.” They disobeyed the command of God and ate the fruit; for the first time, they experienced separation from Him; in an instant they knew shame, guilt, embarrassment, dirtiness, and pain. Adam and Eve began to grow old, and they eventually experienced death. Sin is serious, because it separates us from eternal life and fellowship with the Almighty God. He desires that we let go of sinful practices that keep us from truly living. If there is any portion of dead flesh that has imprisoned you and kept you from fully knowing the Lord, you must be prepared to severe it; or risk facing the eternal consequences of your unwillingness.
In april 2003, an experienced mountain climber named Aaron Ralston was hiking alone in a remote mountain pass in Utah. While maneuvering through one of the crevices a giant boulder dislodged and pinned his arm against the canyon wall; for days he attempted to free his arm until he was extremely dehydrated and nearly out of water. He had not told anyone where he was going, so he knew that no one would be looking for him. Aaron was faced with a choice […] He could severe his arm with an ill-equipped pocket knife; or he could lie down and die. The only thing standing between Aaron and the rest of his life were two bones, several muscles, and some tendons in his forearm. Aaron chose to cut off his own arm and live, rather than keep his arm and die. [Note: Aaron made the right choice. He broke both of the bones in his arm, and slowly and painfully cut through his muscles and tendons with his dull knife. Nearly 127 hours after becoming trapped, he left his severed arm behind and climbled his way out of the canyon and lived to tell about it. Until that day, Aaron had lived selfishly. He had been ‘a loner’ who pushed others away. Shortly after his experience he came to believe that the boulder had been waiting for him his entire life (it was destined to transform him.) He said, “I left my hand behind in that canyon, but I gained my life back.” His experience allowed him to see what was truly important. He began to put the emphasis on his personal relationships, and went on to get married and have children. He now travels the world telling other people about his inspiring story.]
Like Aaron, there are boulders in our lives; giant rocks that pin us down and keep us from having a wonderful relationship with a loving God. Grave sin keeps us from knowing the fullness of an eternal life with Jesus Christ. If we have been washed clean and have accepted salvation, but have slipped in to adultery and fornication our future is in jeopardy. If the Friday and Saturday night drunkenness and promiscuity that once defined our weekends before our conversion has again become our practice, we have some cutting to do? If love is absent from our actions and compassion has no place in our hearts, we must examine where we have lost fellowship with a loving and compassionate God? Ask God to reveal to you, any sin that has crept in to your life, and He will. What you do with what you find, will determine your eternal destination; you have a choice to make; make the right choice.
“Lord Heavenly Father, we come before You and we honor You. You are an awesome and mighty God. We recognize that sin can separate us from You. We know that we have received forgiveness through Your Son, but if we have any grievous sin in our lives that has caused us to be distant from You, we ask that You bring that sin to our attention; and then give us the means, and the strength to put that sin to death, that we might live for you. We love You Father, we praise You, and we thank You, and we ask and pray all of these things in Jesus Christ’s name. Amen.” God bless all of you.
Jesus Speaks 