Corona Devo 324

God is love.  God is patient.  God is soft/flexible/adjustable with our sin.

You might agree with all of these, but I don't think God does.  

We like to rationalize our wanderings or justify our temptations, but God's stance on sin is staunch.  We often choose to defend or explain-sin-away, but avoiding sin is God's answer and preemptive move every time.  Just cut it off.

If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off.  ~Mark 9:43

What are our "hands" up to?  Are we typing and posting opinions and accusations that God do not reflect Jesus?  Cut it off.  

Are we stealing from someone?  Printing personal things at work or taking "supplies" home for personal use?  Have we shifted a line in the ledger or has our hand shifted into touching something or someone that is none-of-our-business?  Cut it off.     


If your foot causes you to sin, cut it off.   ~Mark 9:45

Where are we headed today?  What direction are we taking and why?  Is God leading our steps, or is anger/pain/bitterness/or entitlement controlling our feet?  Cut it off.  


And if your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out.  ~Mark 9:47

The world lures us in so many visual ways.  From airbrushed skin and bodies to happiness coming from a bottle or product--our eyes drink it in and we make negligent decisions.  

What are our eyes on at work?  Projects and productivity or our phone and social media accounts?  Cut it off.   

At home are we focusing our attention and eyes on chores and errands or are we absorbing the people within the home whom we are on God's errand to serve?  If we can't see the gifts before our eyes: Cut it off.  

If our eyes turn to social media, a mirror or our bank account as a measuring stick of our worth or purpose:  Cut it off.  

Online, on our phone, and in our mind--where are our eyes?  If they are wandering into sinful landscapes, God is clear about what to do: Cut it off.  


(43) If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It’s better to enter eternal life with only one hand than to go into the unquenchable fires of hell with two hands. (45) If your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It’s better to enter eternal life with only one foot than to be thrown into hell with two feet. (47) And if your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out. It’s better to enter the Kingdom of God with only one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell, (48) ‘where the maggots never die and the fire never goes out.’  ~Mark 9:43-48

Hardcore, isn't it?  

But where is the gentle Jesus and the forgiving God?  

They are here, where they have always been.  Right beside us when every temptation knocks and within us via the Holy Spirit, but we must never forget that They are holy and righteous and They cannot look upon sin.  

We cannot continue to excuse and pretend that sin does not bother God.  That our sin does not bother God.  Today's verses are like a bomb exploding in the middle of the make-believe world we have built around our sin.  Cut it off.      

The amazing news is: God is still God.  He is completely aware (He's omniscient!) of our sinful tendencies, and (miraculously) He still loves us.  But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8).  Out of love God gave us the gift and promise of eternal life, gift-wrapped in the blood of His Son on Calvary. 

God is love.  

And we demonstrate our love for Him in turning our hands, feet and eyes away from sin and towards Him and His desires for our hands, feet and eyes.

We each know which parts of us are wandering today.  Cut it off.    

Blessings,

sarah

https://sarahsundy04.blogspot.com/

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