Daily Devotional for Wednesday 12th June
Cut it out!
Following on from where we left off yesterday, today we see just how protective Jesus is over His believers, even those ‘little’ in their faith. We must do all we can to encourage others in their faith and steer them away from sin, Jesus makes it very clear what the consequences are if we don’t!
On first read of this passage, it sounds quite gruesome! Is Jesus really telling us to start chopping off our limbs and plucking out our eyes?! Thankfully, virtually all readers agree that these commands are not to be taken literally. They refer to the precious parts of our personalities, which may from time to time cause us to stumble, and stop us from closely following Jesus. Jesus is saying anything that gets in the way of our relationship with Him must go.
The reality is discipleship is difficult and challenging and sometimes demands us to make sacrifices. As we learnt earlier in the week, following Jesus is not all about us. We don’t follow Jesus for our own personal satisfaction and fulfilment. We should be prepared to reject things that on the surface are good and God given, (like our hands, our feet and our eyes) but are presently leading us down the wrong path.
Jesus is giving us a personal warning here, not to think we can drift along doing whatever we feel like. He’s letting us know there’s a war on; the kingdom is breaking in and sacrifices are required; to think otherwise is to risk total ruin.
The end of the chapter brings us back to the squabbling disciples. They, and we are called, as Jesus’ people, to be the salt of the earth (Matthew 5.13), but, as with the rest of the nation, the disciples must beware of losing their particular flavour and so becoming worthless. If they are to be followers of the Prince of Peace they must learn to live at peace within themselves.
Time to reflect…
Is there something in your life that is good and God given and yet leading you down the wrong path and away from God? Perhaps it may be overindulging in food, or alcohol, or binge-watching your favourite TV show? Could it be that Jesus is challenging you about that today, asking you to cut it out so you can follow Him more closely.
‘Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves and be at peace with each other’ (verse 50).
It can be tempting to blend it with what everyone around you is doing, but in doing so you risk losing your saltiness - your witness as a follower of Jesus. What does it look like for you to be salty today and be at peace with others?
Pause to Pray….
Lord Jesus, following you can be difficult at times, and demand I make sacrifices. I’m sorry for the times I have lost my saltiness. Please show me the things in my life that are getting in the way of my relationship with you, and help me as I make the decision to cut them out. Amen
