In Matthew 18:6-9, Jesus teaches about offenses using symbolism. We first see his use of the hand, foot, and the eye in verses 8 – 9, “Wherefore if thy hand or thy foot offend thee, cut them off, and cast them from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life halt or maimed, rather than having two hand or two feet to be cast into everlasting fire. And if thine eye offend thee: it is better for thee to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire.” In these verses, the hand, foot, and the eye symbolize friends, and family.
Jesus teaches that if we have a friend or a family member that offends us then we must “cut them off, and cast them from thee”. Throughout life there are many people that may offend you, but it is you that will decide how you will respond to that offense. You can indeed take offense walking through life with a chip on your shoulder or as the Savior says in verse 6 “it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.”
If you let it, an offensive comment or action can take over your life eventually drowning you in the misery of that offense or engulfing you in “everlasting fire”. If we take heed to what the Savior says in Matthew 18, we can get rid of the offense in our lives. The Savior says in verse 8 “it is better for thee to enter into life halt or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into everlasting fire.”
An offensive comment may hurt for a moment, but we can choose to move past it and become stronger in the process. In Mark 9:46, we learn that those that are offended are fighting a fight that they will never win or in the words of the Savior it is a “fire that never shall be quenched”.
In John 8:32, it says “And ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free”. The Word of Wisdom is a law of health that members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints actively live. The Word of Wisdom exhorts us to refrain from the following substances; coffee and tea, alcohol, tobacco, illegal drugs and any other addictive and harmful substances.
We have been given this law as a law of health so that our bodies both physically and spiritually may be healthy. In the world, coffee, tea, alcohol, tobacco, and even illegal drugs can be a way of life for many people. Their morning ritual includes their daily cup of coffee to get them started and they may have a glass of alcohol with their dinner or socializing with their friends. Many studies have been performed regarding specifically alcohol and coffee that they will benefit your well-being if you partake of them regularly. We are taught to abstain from these substances, yet, we continually hear of the benefits of having them just once in a while.
In John 14:6, it says “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me”. We are taught in this verse that Jesus is the way, the truth and the life. The Word of Wisdom is a law that was given by the Lord for our physical and spiritually well-being. Man will and has come to try to oppose that, but we know that because it comes from the Lord, it is the truth.
It is so hard to choose the right when we are constantly faced with opposing views, but as we hold fast to the scripture in John 14:6, we can know which path is right because we know that Christ is the way, the truth, and the life. We can turn to the Lord in making decisions through prayer, fasting, scriptures, and many other resources and I know that we will be blessed to know which way is the Lord would have us go. We will truly be blessed with freedom knowing that as we strive to follow Christ then we will always have the way and the truth a part of our lives.
No comments:
Post a Comment