Monday 30/07/12

Matthew 5:29-30 ESV

If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell.

In the Bible, God instructs us to stay away, even flee from tempting circumstances, lest we fall. Avoiding tempting scenarios do hurt us. Resigning from an office because it is full of corruption may hurt us financially. Joseph running away from an approaching adulterous woman gets him blamed and threw into prison. Refusing following bad activities may isolates us from our social friends. Sometimes, it costs and hurts us to do good, and it costs and hurts us to stay away from evil.

Nevertheless, we ought to do it. Jesus says it is better to lose our eye  or our hand than to go to hell, so we should be willing to suffer lost and pay the price to flee from sin or stay away from tempting circumstances. God will be pleased when we seek His Kingdom & His righteousness, and will take care of us. Joseph was thrown to prison, but he eventually became ruler of Egypt. While not always, God usually rewards righteousness much more than what we lose.