Jesus did not only come to save us from our sins but to teach us how we should live. He taught us the seriousness of sin and how we should take it seriously because sin destroys our lives. Sin can ruin what is good in us. When God created the world, it was perfect and had no suffering, but when sin entered the world, suffering and death came into the world. Sin can be exciting and fun, but it leads us to despair and destruction. So Jesus continued to teach the disciples not to become a stumbling block to others. Being a stumbling block means causing someone to sin. Jesus said, "If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them if a large millstone were hung around their neck and they were thrown into the sea" (Mark 9:42).
There is no such thing as a small sin to God. All sin caused Jesus to die on the cross. When we sin, we hurt others, even when we sin secretly. The reason is that sin affects our hearts and attitude that affects others. Any sin we keep secret will eventually consume our minds and hearts, and once that happens, people around us will start to notice the change in our behaviors. So Jesus encouraged His disciples that if their hand caused them to sin, cut it off. It is better for them to enter life crippled than to have both hands and go to hell into the lake of fire. Similarly, if their foot caused them to sin, cut it off. And if their eye caused them to sin, pluck it out. Jesus was not teaching us to mutilate ourselves, but he was teaching us to get rid of the source of our sins in our lives. If our eyes cause us to sin, we must stop looking at those that cause us to sin or resolve any issues in our lives that lead us to sin. (Mark 9:42-50).
We need to be diligent in dealing with our sins, for if we allow them to grow in us, they will eventually consume us. And when sin consumes us, it will destroy what is good in our lives and lead us to despair and destruction. To deal with sin in our lives, we need to pursue God, and we need others to help us to overcome them, such as other believers. We need other believers to deal with our sins because we cannot overcome sins with ourselves alone.
Ask yourself these questions: Why is sin a serious matter in my life? Am I keeping a secret sin? What should I do with my secret sin? Who do I need to overcome my sin?
Write down all the worries you face today and lift them up to God.
Prayer:
Father in Heaven, you know everything in my heart. You know all my secret sins. I confess them to you, and please forgive me for all my sins. Please help me not keep any sins in my heart but overcome them so that I may not become a stumbling block to others. In the name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.