Notice on a slight format change:

Except for July 2012, these are mostly a collection of current devotional notes.

July 2012 is a re-write of old quiet times. My second child was born Nov 11, 1987 with multiple birth defects. I've been re-reading my QT notes from that time in my life, and have included them here. They cover the time before the birth and the few years immediately after the birth. They are tagged "historical." I added new insights and labeled them: ((TODAY, dd mmm yy)).

Monday, January 24, 2022

QT 1/24/2022 Matt 18:7-9, The danger of sin affecting others

Matthew 18:7–9 (ESV) —

7 “Woe to the world for temptations to sin! For it is necessary that temptations come, but woe to the one by whom the temptation comes! 8 And if your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life crippled or lame than with two hands or two feet to be thrown into the eternal fire. 9 And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into the hell of fire.

 

NOTE: Sin is going to bring you down. We are going to be tempted and we are going to fall, and by God's grace we will get back up. But the passage makes it clear that we do have some accountability, especially when it comes to our involvement with others. If our actions also lead others to fall, we have taken sin to another level of degradation. It is one thing to battle sin, but it is another thing entirely to involve others in your sin. Apparently we can fight that impulse to include others in our sin. We may struggle and fight (winning and losing) in the power of the Holy Spirit in our personal battle. But the involvement of others in our sin does not have any excuse. Jesus warns us with hyperbole to take drastic action against sin. I don't believe Jesus meant to maim our bodies, God's creation, but I do think the wording suggests very strong action. I remember playing a game in college that God convicted me was not a good game (whether it is or not is an individual choice, but for me God tested me). I had to throw away the game and the investment I made in expansions. Sometime later, I concluded that I was over that and could play the game again, so I bought a new version. Again, I ended up throwing it away. I went through the same sequence a third time before I finally let go. I wasted a lot of money, but I had to take drastic action.

 

PONDER:

  1. Is there some issue in my life that I must take drastic action?
  2. Are my actions involving others in sin?

 

PRAYER: Father, protect us from the allure of sin. May we never stop battling, may we never give in to its strong pull. Protect us and keep us.

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