²⁷ “You have heard that it was said, ‘Do not commit adultery.’ ²⁸ But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. ²⁹ If your right eye causes you to sin, 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 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.

How would I live differently if the truths of this passage were more real in my life?

I would take drastic action in getting rid of whatever in the natural course of events tempts you to sin!

Prepare for eternity rather than eyeing the fleeting pleasures of sin. The present is not your entire life. We are destined for eternity. The right eye and the hand can doom a person’s glorious destiny.

The words of Jesus remind us that sin is an incredibly destructive force and must not be pampered. For some of us today, here’s what He’s calling us to do:

Ask Him for His strengthening grace and the power of His Spirit to do the following:

Destroy the scandalous picture; condemn and shun the soul-destroying film, burn the obscene book, break off the sinister yet intimate social tie, and discard the baneful habit.

Charles Spurgeon wisely intoned: “You can’t keep the birds from flying over your head, but you can keep them from nesting on your head.” May the Lord strengthen us all to fight the battle against our out-of-order desires (a.k.a. lusts)!