Running to win

Wed, 10 Jul 2024

‘It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.’ Matthew 5:29

Desperate situations sometimes call for desperate measures, and severing your supply line to your flesh means getting radical. Jesus puts it like this: ‘“If your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.”’ (Matthew 5:29-30 NIV). Jesus is advocating moral and spiritual surgery—and that’s radical!

There is no way to argue, reason, or negotiate with sin. Whatever your personal battle, whether it’s gambling, alcohol, drugs, wrong relationships, or internet porn, its purpose is to destroy you and it needs to be eradicated. The apostle Paul was familiar with Old Testament Scripture. He knew that when faced with similar temptation, Samson fell while Joseph stood strong. That’s why he wrote to his spiritual son, Timothy, warning him about the sin that could disqualify him and keep him from winning the race: ‘Now flee from youthful lusts and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.’ (2 Timothy 2:22 NASB20).

Life in today’s environment is saturated with seductive influences, which means we can’t always eliminate the source. So. Paul tells Timothy—when you can’t remove the influence, remove yourself! And furthermore, run, don’t walk. You can be free, but your carnal mind will only give you a few seconds before it decides for you. So don’t hesitate, don’t deviate, and don’t procrastinate. Do what needs to be done—and do it quickly.