Reality and Temptation
“If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go into hell. (Mark 9:43)
The hard truth: amputate sin like a cancer. Be ruthless with it and unapologetic. If you don’t, it will metastasize to come back, fester, and eventually kill you. That’s certainty.
The hard truth: spiritual actions speak far louder than words. They are the ultimate maker of spiritual integrity. If you love someone, you seek alignment of your life to their priorities. Think about that. That’s a real relationship, anything else is fantasy.
The hard truth: thoughts, motive, and intentions reveal who we really are, and behaviors only confirm it. The tip of the iceberg is what people see. The mass below the waterline is what God sees. You can quit acting righteous and start being righteous.
The hard truth: earth is not heaven. We should expect loss and grief. Yet we should anticipate God’s redeeming our grief and fulfilling His purpose in it. Though full redemption of suffering may not come in this lifetime, earth’s worst cannot escape God’s best.
The hard truth: the motions might be right, but if the motivations are out of alignment, you might as well drop the charade. Playing church is playing with fire.
Father, only you can expose my true motives, help me listen intently.