Mark 9:42
"Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were put around his neck and he were thrown into the sea."
The weight of sin is heavy, so heavy in fact that it can kill us. So is a giant millstone. Jesus was teaching his followers that there are great rewards for living the gospel. But there is also severe consequences if we live outside of it. The life in sin can literally kill you, physically, spiritually, mentally and emotionally. It kills relationships and eats at the soul. A life in Christ does just the opposite. Jesus tells us that if any part of the body causes us to sin, then we should cut it off or out. How does your eye cause you to sin? Maybe looking lustfully at someone or winking suggestively at someone outside of your marriage. How about your tongue? Gossip, foul language, lies and deceit. How about your hands and feet? Maybe hitting or kicking someone, damaging one of God's creations. It could be writing things damaging on social media. Jesus says for us to get to paradise, we must sacrifice parts of the body to save the soul. Really Jesus teaches that we must eliminate sin from all aspects of our life. He wants us to be mindful of what causes us to sin. If we look at inappropriate things on the web, then we have to cut that out. It's simply dragging us down and we don't even realize it. But what is even more eternally damning is dragging others into that habitual sin and leading them away from a life in Christ. Today's passage talks about the "little ones." These aren't just children, but young ones in the faith. Living a life in Christ is serious business and takes courage. How courageous are you?
