death

If Your Eye Causes You to Sin, Pluck it Out

Matthew 18:8-10 give us some somewhat shocking advice on what to do when we are sinning or tempted to sin. It says, “Wherefore if your hand or your foot offends you, cut them off, and cast them from you: it is better for you to enter into life lame or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into everlasting fire. And if your eye offends you, pluck it out, and cast it from you; it is better for you to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire.” (See also Mark 9:43-47 and Matthew 5:29-30).

Even though I am not entirely sure of the meaning of this passage, I don’t believe that God wants us to literally do those things; however, obviously those verses were written to express the seriousness of sin. I am going to focus on what seems to be a major problem in today’s world. With access to all kinds of things on the internet, pornography has become a major stronghold in the lives of many people. The seeing of sexual acts causes some people to act out (or want to act out) what they see, and many have ruined their own lives and the lives of others by not “plucking out their eyes” when they recognize that they have a problem with sin in this area.

Nowadays, pornography is more than just seeing naked men or women, which is still not pleasing to God (see Genesis 3:10,11, and 21). I have read about and heard testimonies of people who have destroyed their marriage and hurt others, saying that this sin reaches into the pit of hell and covers every kind of perversion imaginable. God makes it clear that “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23), and Christ tells us that we are to put to death all sins that reside in our bodily members since we are dead to sin and alive in Christ (Romans 6:2-4). Colossians 3:5 and 8 tell us to “mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleaness, inordinate affection, evil desires…for which sake the wrath of God comes on the children of disobedience.” We are not to continue in sin; it must be repented of (1 John 1:9)

A lot of children have been harmed by either looking at pornography themselves, or by being sexually abused in some way by others. Jesus is very protective of little children (Mark 9:36, 37, and 42, 10:13-16). Luke 17:2 says “It would be better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he be cast into the sea than that he should offend one of these little ones”, and Matthew 18:10 says, “Take heed that you harm not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, that in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven.”

If you are addicted to pornography, first, pray that God would break the bondage of it in your life, and get help immediately from a Christian counselor, a church pastor, or someone who can keep you accountable. Also, throw away, and stay away from any sources that are causing you to stumble, even if you have to get rid of your computer or television. Those suggestions seem minor in comparison to plucking out your eyes, wouldn’t you agree?

Fear Not! Death is Not The End! Happy Easter!

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, many people find themselves experiencing some anxiety due to their fear of death, or the fear that they may lose one of their loved ones to this virus.  People are certainly hoping and praying that the spread of Covid-19 would end soon, but as they think about the possibility of death, I hope they take some time to consider what comes after death. Even if you live a full life to the age of 75, 80, or perhaps 90, this is still so brief in comparison to eternity, and a person should actually be more concerned about eternity than about death. We know that nothing in this life is really certain, except death. That fact  reminds me of a message I once saw printed on a t-shirt that said, “Statistics prove that 10 out of 10 people die”, so unless we are fearing the suffering that may be involved in death, most of us realize that death is in store for each one of us.

Okay, then what comes after death? Science cannot tell us what happens after death; there is no proof for reincarnation or annihilation either. Most religions and philosophies don’t have very satisfying answers to this or to other questions. However, after searching for answers, I found that The Bible, God’s Word, actually addresses and gives the most reasonable answers to all of life’s tough questions. In fact, many  questions are answered just by reading the first eleven verses of Genesis; but don’t stop there– you will find many more answers throughout the Bible.

First, you must believe that there is a God who created all things. That really isn’t so hard to do if you look honestly at the incredible design in everything; and if there is design, then there must be a Master Designer/ Artist. Evolution and random chance doesn’t, and never will, give beauty, intelligence, and order to anything. (Woops! This is actually my topic for another blog)

Now, I want to whet your appetite for the Bible by looking at some verses to see what Scripture says about life, death, God’s judgment, and eternity:

  • “In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth” (Genesis 1:1)
  • “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let him have dominion… over all the earth, and over every creeping thing upon the earth” (Genesis 1:26)
  • “As by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.” (Romans 5:12)
  • “To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die…” (Ecclesiastes 3:1,2a)
  • “For God loved the world so much that He gave His only Son, that whosoever believes in Him will not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)
  • “But commends His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)
  • But God, who is rich in mercy, for His great love wherewith He loved us, even when we were dead in sins, He has made us alive together in Christ.” (Ephesians 2:4,5)
  • “To live is Christ, to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21)
  • “For we know that if our earthly house [physical body]…were destroyed, we have a building of God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.” (2 Corinthians 5:1)
  • “You know not what shall be tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor, that appears for a little time, and then vanishes away.” (James 4:14)
  • “All flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls away: But the Word of the Lord endures forever.” (1 Peter 1:24,25)
  • “The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.” (1 Corinthians 15:26)
  • “So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your sting? O grave, where is your victory?” (1 Corinthians 15:54,55)
  • “It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment.” (Hebrews 9:27)
  • “Teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.” (Psalm 90:12)
  • “Death and hell were cast into the lake of fire…And whosoever was not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.” (Revelation 20:14,15)
  • “And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal” (Matthew 25:46)
  • “And I saw a new heaven and a new earth…Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.” (Revelation 21:4)

Therefore, if you belong to Christ, you don’t have to fear death. Isaiah 41:10 says “Fear not; for I am with you: be not dismayed; for I am your God: I will strengthen you; yea, I will help you; yea, I will hold you with the right hand of my righteousness”, and 1 John 4:18 says, “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear” (and there are many, great verses that give us good reasons not to fear.) So, conquer your fears with the Word of God. I can assure you that death will not have the last word! Jesus conquered the grave when He rose from the dead, and we too, will rise again!

That is the real reason that we celebrate Easter. Praise God! We serve a risen Savior! This weekend, I hope that you focus on His resurrection, and rejoice that soon He will be coming back for those who are His. (Also, instead of weakening your immune system by eating too much candy on Easter, why not spend some extra time praying to the God who created you and who loves you dearly, and reading His Words of Truth in the Bible? You won’t regret it!)