TODAY’S SCRIPTURE
If your right eye causes you to stumble, 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. Matthew 5:29
Read: Matthew 5:29-30
Listen: Matthew 5
TODAY’S MESSAGE
Jesus uses extreme hyperbole (exaggeration) to get the attention of his audience and make sure they don’t miss his point. By telling them to gouge out an eye or cut off a hand, he’s telling them to take serious action before the problem of lust spins out of control. Once it’s going, there may be no way to stop it and no way to control the consequences. It may be “painful,” but Jesus says it will be worth it in the long run. Watch this video clip as Pastor Jeff Manion shares his introduction to a former major league baseball player as an illustration of what Jesus means.
Jesus knows that ignoring his instructions here can lead to ignoring his instructions in other areas. Jesus addresses lust and adultery problems because humanity has struggled with them for millennia. While early believers had the temptation of cult and temple prostitutes, we have pornography access with just a couple of taps on our mobile devices. Our avenues for sexual temptation may be different but are just as rampant. Jesus is saying we may need to take drastic action before something worse happens.
Drastic action could mean many things. Maybe it means dumping our smartphone in favor of a flip phone or switching to a different gym to avoid altogether someone other than our spouse getting our attention. Perhaps we need to create stricter boundaries like stop spending time alone or moving out. It might mean deleting Facebook if we’re finding ourselves looking for an old boyfriend or girlfriend—while our spouse is asleep.
IN YOUR CHAIR TIME TODAY
What drastic action do you need to take today? Sometimes we need help to get started. Email us at btw@adabible.org, and we can connect you with a group, a mentor or other care to help.
NEW TESTAMENT READING PLAN
Join us this year as we read through the New Testament.
Today’s reading is Romans 2.
Download a printable PDF of the BTW week here.
