“If your hand causes your downfall, cut it off. And if your foot causes your downfall, cut it off. And if your eye causes your downfall, gouge it out. Mark 9:43, 45, 47.
In spite of the importance of breaking decisively with everything of which Christ cannot approve-
– some Christians hide sins and are not willing to get rid of them.
Let there be no illusion about this.
No one can maintain their spiritual freshness as long as they allow known sin to remain and take root in their lives.
This matter of spiritual freshness is decided-
– not by living on the defensive,
– but by living on the offensive.
It involves making definite decisions-
– decisions such as saying “Yes” to all that Christ offers
– and saying “No” to all that sin offers.
Christianity is-
– not a prohibition
– but a privilege!
But I would add that it does, however, have a prohibition in it.
In our text for today-
Jesus says that if your “hand” or your “eye” causes you to sin, then do something about it.
In other words-
– do not tolerate anything that cuts across the central purpose of your life.
From head to foot-
– you are to belong to Christ.
The order in these verses is important.
The order is hand, foot, eye.
The “hand” represents the doing of evil-
– the “foot” the approach toward evil,
– and the “eye” the seeing of evil with desire from afar.
What’ s the message in all this?
Quite clearly, the message is that sin must be cut out at every stage.
The place to begin, of course, is with the “eye” – the place of desire.
Take care of that, and you won’ t have to worry too much about the “hand” and the “foot.”

“Father, teach me how to be a decisive and not a double-minded person – especially in relation to this matter of sin. Show me what things I need to break with in my life, and help me to do it. In Jesus’ name. Amen.”
(PA)