Harsh Words From Jesus
Hi, I’m Joni Eareckson Tada with a harsh word from our Savior.
Harsh, you say? That’s not right. Jesus has harsh things to say to me? Well, look at Matthew chapter 5. Starting with verse 29, Jesus says, “If your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out…throw it away…If your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off…throw it away.” Now, obviously, Jesus is not being literal here, but you get the idea. The subject is lust; He’s talking about lust. That is, craving or desiring or scheming for things or people that you have no business being interested in. And when it comes to that stuff – lusting, whether for people or for things, Jesus prescribes a severe, even a radical operation. Because as far as He is concerned, there is not even room to stumble. Uh, uh. No. There’s no room to even trip up. In other words, if you are even thinking about the remote possibility of slightly bending the rules just a bit, do not go there. Desiring another person who’s not yours or plotting so you can get what you want – forget it.
You know, it happened to me decades ago. We were not but a couple of years into our marriage – Ken and me. And yeah, that’s right; I’ll confess it; I struggled with it. The honeymoon had worn off; my new husband was feeling overwhelmed by all the disability routines, and he was retreating into his work as a high school teacher. And me? I was allowing resentment to build up; I felt like Ken just wasn’t “there” for me emotionally. You know, looking back, I think I was being terribly selfish. Anyway! All this to say, I found myself being attracted to, actually being drawn to, one of Ken’s friends. This friend went out of his way to be really nice to me, and, man, I ate it up. I started looking forward to seeing him. I thought it was okay to enjoy these feelings; after all, this friend was meeting an emotional need that my husband simply wasn’t – at least that was my justification. But one day, in my Bible reading, I came across this verse – Matthew chapter 5. And out of nowhere, the words of Jesus – you know, these words about lust? About desiring something that’s not yours? Those words hit home in my heart. And man, was I convicted. I knew Jesus was talking about me, and from then on out, things changed.
Now, you might think attraction to that friend of Ken’s for me – that that was a small thing. You know, “Joni, don’t sweat the small stuff.” But look, I know my heart, and lust is not something to coddle with or take lightly. You don’t play around with it – just as one would not play with a venomous snake. If you don’t deal severely with lust, then a glance becomes a gaze. A thought becomes an action. A casual fantasy becomes a heartbreaking nightmare for everybody involved. So, yes, when it comes to your desire for the wrong thing or the wrong person, you better be harsh with those inclinations. You better walk away. Avert your gaze. Leave the movie. Put the magazine down. Turn off your computer. Now, these are all tough choices, but they are simple actions that will result in God’s blessing. So, draw courage from 1 Corinthians chapter 10 where it says that, “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; He’ll not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so you can endure it.” And what is that way out? It’s the Holy Spirit. He’ll help you derail any train of thought that grieves the Lord. He will warn you when you are getting too close to potential trouble. He’ll whisper, “Don’t go there; don’t think that; and here, let me help you.” And, friend, all you need to do, is to take hold of the power He gives you to say “no.” Should your wayward heart need that reminder today, consider this a life-saving lesson.
