Verse: Matthew 18:6-9
6 “If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea. 7 Woe to the world because of the things that cause people to stumble! Such things must come, but woe to the person through whom they come! 8 If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life maimed or crippled than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into eternal fire. 9 And if your eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell.
Devotion
One time I was hiking up a favorite trail of mine just outside of Fort Collins, CO. I’ve been there for a bunch for work trips, and I love this hike. On this particular hike, I stumbled upon a rattle snake sunning himself on the path. So what do you do when you encounter something that dangerous? Choose your own adventure:
- Try to pet it and take it home as a secret pet that no one knows about.
- Try to act like it’s not there and just keep walking.
- Try to get as close to it as you can, but outside of striking distance (you hope!).
- Make an exaggeratedly huge loop around so it has no chance in the world to ever reach you.
I chose Option 4. I didn’t even get close enough to get a good picture. I took a HUGE circle around it. Way bigger than necessary. But I wasn’t taking any chances.
This is the type of hyperbole that Jesus is using here in regard to things that can “make us or others stumble.” Jesus apparently takes sin pretty seriously. And he doesn’t want us to suffer the consequences of sin in our lives. He knows how destructive sin can be. He knows how it eats away at our souls. He knows the power of shame to destroy us from the inside out. He knows how addictive and cyclical most sin is. And he wants his “little ones” (ie, us!) to be clear of it!
So don’t walk near the snake!! Stay clear! If something is causing you to stumble, stop trying to rationalize it away, or hope it gets better, or ignore it. JUST RUN. Get as far away from it as possible. Stop going to that bar. Stop watching that show. Stop talking to that person. Cancel that subscription. Go to bed earlier. Stop caving in to your fear when God prompts you. Whatever it is!
I was watching this show for a while – Squid Games. Stupid show honestly. About half way through I felt convicted by the Holy Spirit. Do I really want to watch a show about people getting killed in all sorts of different ways? But I have this thing about me where I like to finish what I start! I tried to rationalize, “it’s not that big a deal” etc etc. Finally I realized, I was trying to walk close the snake. Time to CUT IT OFF DUDE. So I did. It hurt (so stupid) to not finish the show. But it hurt less than disobeying the prompting of the Holy Spirit.
What snakes are you walking too close to in your life?
Author: Christian Dunn
Recent Comments