Cut off your hand

"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 5:30

Let’s start off by saying Jesus is obviously not saying you should go and whack off your hand if you use it for sin. He’s saying “get rid of anything that can lead you to sin”.

"Hands" are good things, useful things, things that are supposed to make our lives better. 
Sometimes we need to get rid of them if we want to beat sin and grow closer to God.

Let’s think about your hand though. 
If you had to cut it off what kind of excuses would you make not to.

I need it for work
People will think I'm weird with one hand
People might ask why I only have one hand
I use my hand too much to get rid of it
I won't be able to do X without it
I can't interact with people like I used to (wave, handshake, fist bump).
That would hurt!

Does any of that sound familiar?

You might be making the same excuses for not getting rid of that small thing in your life that is leading you down a bad path you don’t want to be on. A path further away from God and the life he has for you.

What "hand" do you need to cut off today?

Here are some examples of what that might look like:

Get rid of Y social media platform (twitter, instagram, Facebook)
Unfollow Z on social (you'll just gossip about them)
Get rid of your TV
Get rid of your smart phone (get a dumb phone)
Unsubscribe to Netflix
Delete that App
Break up with your GF/BF (or have a serious conversation)
Move house

It is a drastic step. Jesus never promised following him would be easy. 
He said “deny yourself, pick up your cross and follow me”  (Mark 8:34).

He did however say this is where the best, fullest life is. (John 10:10)