10/20/21 SERIOUS EVALUATION

10/20/21 SERIOUS EVALUATION

Jesus said, if your eye or hand or foot offends you (impairs your relationship with God), then pluck it out or cut it off and cast it away (which needs to be understood in light of New Testament principles).

These are hard sayings, but the principle is also applicable to human activities. If you have an interest, relationship, behavior, habit, entertainment, hobby, amusement that impairs your relationship with God, or causes you to stumble, drift, lose focus, fall away, then you need to remove that stumbling block from your life.

I remember taking inventory as a Bible college student and asking myself if my interest in sports needed to be curbed or cast away. I have often told young people that they needed to remove any distraction (sweetheart, pass time, goal, dream, commitment, culture, vocation, worldview) that took away from total commitment and following Jesus fully. Sometimes it is as simple as changing a preference and sometimes it requires a major sacrifice.

Certainly, if our eternal destiny is more important than the basic human need to see or handle or walk it is more important than our own views, preferences, conveniences, human philosophies, pleasures.

Today there are new distractions in America. Christians are focusing on earthly affairs, politics, financial and legal and health issues, comforts, vain philosophies. Though a problem can be an actual and significant threat, the distraction caused by the problem poses a greater threat for the one who focuses on the threat, or worries about the threat, or gets angry about the threat.

We must not allow distractions.
We must keep our eyes on Jesus, we must look to the One Who is coming to save us.
We must not focus on the one who wants to devour us.

Likewise we should not ignore the real problems of life. Satan does not care which side of an issue you espouse, so long as it distracts you from God's will.

Faith strikes the right balance. Focus on Christ and His word.