Sober in mind

 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)

Is it that Jesus is telling us to cut off physically our eye or hands?
Our eye or hand by itself cannot commit sin. Everything starts in the mind, in our thoughts, grows in the heart and is executed by the body.


But what does this parable means?

Eventually we must cut the members that sin, by stopping them from doing what is evil;

shutting our eyes to impure things, refraining our hands from doing evil acts, avoid letting our ears listening calomnies snd everything that can contaminate us, holding back our feet from going to places where sin is there, controlling our tongue to not curse, lie, judge and talk bad on others.


The secret and the only thing we have to do is to work from the INSIDE to control the OUTSIDE. That is, in order to stop our members to sin, we must first of all stop what grows in our heart. What we must understand is that evil thoughts come for everyone. The difference is not nurturing them; that is stop them right there and not allowing them to reach our senses.

But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.(Matthew 5:28)

It is the only way, because, scientifically, our body works this way. Let me give you an example.

Imagine you are playing a game such as badminton. Your opponent hits the shuttlecock high over the net. You move effortlessly towards the shuttlecock, and in a matter of perhaps one or two seconds later you hit it back. This action seems unremarkable. But have you ever understood how it works inside your body?
Here it is:
Your eyes saw the shuttlecock and sent a message to the brain. The brain calculated how fast the shuttlecock was moving through the air and predicted where to move your body to. The brain then sent a message to the muscles in your legs and arms to move, bringing you to exactly the right place to hit the shuttlecock.

The same thing happens in our mind concerning sin. Sin starts in our mind people of God. Satan brings bad things or  evil situations in front of you and talks to your thoughts. But the reaction depends on YOU; whether you resist these thoughts or send them to action through your senses.
So, good people, do not let evil thoughts overtake you. It is better to sacrifice today than burn eternally. The devil will never stop trying.
 Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. (1 Peter 5:8)

God bless you, Thash.