Corona Devo 1504

"Oh no, that's bad.  Really bad", he said, sounding both solemn and alarmed at the same time.  

We have a friend and neighbor whose knowledge of plants is somewhat famous within our neighborhood.  So, when he stopped over for a visit the other day, I took advantage of his plant-geniusness and hoped that he might have advice on the burnt-Cheeto-like growths happening on our plum tree branches...and how we might take care of it?

His assessment was rather grave and he was point-blank in telling me that his family had to cut down a tree in their yard with the same disease ("Black Knot").

"It's too dangerous.  It kills the part of the tree that it is touching, and it can easily affect and infect other trees around it.  You have to cut off every branch with the Black Knot on it...and wear gloves", he said, "You don't want to touch it, or have it touch anything else."

Young but irrefutable, we knew what he said could be trusted, and just by gist of his warning and diagnosis, we felt compelled to take care of it as soon as possible.  Within 24 hours, my husband got out his "loppers", and went to work. 

Soon, the ground beneath our plum tree was littered with tree branches and branch tips.  The tree certainly looked shaved and frail, but we understood that cutting out the poison was the only chance we had for its survival.   

~~~

“But if you cause one of these little ones who trusts in me to fall into sin, it would be better for you to be thrown into the sea with a large millstone hung around your neck. (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 9:42-48

The Book of Matthew hones-in to specifically address sexual sin, quoting the same advice from Jesus:  “You have heard the commandment that says, ‘You must not commit adultery.’  (28) But I say, anyone who even looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. (29) So if your eye—even your good eye—causes you to lust, 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. (30) And if your hand—even your stronger 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 be thrown into hell.  ~Matthew 5:27-30

These are the words of Jesus, and He is not mincing them.  

Jesus knows what awaits us in Heaven, and (only) He knows what awaits us in hell.  The deciding factor is sin and our willing participation in it...or our choice to cut-it-off.  

Cut sin off today.

~~~

We can't do the sin-extraction ourselves...but our acceptance, partnership, and relationship with Jesus makes it possible, and then the Holy Spirit guides us, leads us, and disciplines us in the ways of God.

Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. (15) For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. (16) Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.  ~Hebrews 4:14-16

Sin is nothing to play with, and (too) often, we explain-it-away as "inherited", or "just the way we're made", or as "something we can handle on our own", but the truth is, sin travels and it's dangerous.  It never gets smaller on its own, it always matastasizes. Sin kills the parts of us that it touches, and has detrimental effects on those close to us.  

The Black Knot tree fungus and its threat to the plum tree's livelihood was a wake-up call to me for the sin in my life.

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. ~Mark 9:43

Jesus was speaking point-blank about dealing with sin, and I needed to hear it today.  

Do we have sinful branches in our lives (or within our hearts) that need lopped-off?  

Let's get to work.

As God's redeeming-love and refining-fire work within us and our lives, there is probably going to be some pain in the pruning, but as we seek to be made more into God's image, the lopping must occur. 

Cut sin off today.

Blessings,

sarah

https://sarahsundy04.blogspot.com