'The Greater Priority' - Mark 9:43-48

[Jesus continued,] "If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It's better to enter eternal life with only one hand than to go into the unquenchable fires of hell with two hands. If your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It's better to enter eternal life with only one foot than to be thrown into hell with two feet. And if your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out. It's better to enter the Kingdom of God with only one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell, 'where the maggots never die and the fire never goes out.'"

—Mark 9:43-48 NLT

Key Thought


Sin, and leading others to sin, must be avoided at all costs. Being God's pure people is vitally important. So Jesus uses very powerful words and imagery to drive his point home forcefully. Sin and causing others to sin must matter tremendously to us because they definitely have no place in our lives.

Today's Prayer


Father in heaven, I confess that the lack of concern the world around me has about sin sometimes infiltrates my own thinking. Please, dear Father, not only forgive me, but also stir my heart to yearn for holiness and to live a holy life in all that I do. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen.

Related Scripture Readings

• 1 John 2:1-2
• James 1:26-27
• Galatians 5:22-23

Ⓒ 1996-2020 Heartlight, Inc. This material may not be reproduced in part or whole for commercial use without written consent. What Jesus Did! is written by Phil Ware. Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2007, 2013, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

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