Why "Small" Choices Define Your Life (And How To Change Them)

Lessons from the Sermon on the Mount (Part 5)

“What is lust? The impatience of desire—I must have it at once. Love can wait seven years; lust cannot wait two seconds.” - Oswald Chambers, Studies in the Sermon on the Mount

Today, we’re discussing my least favorite passage in the Bible.

Why is it my least favorite? Not because it’s bad, but because it’s uncompromising. It eliminates all my excuses for sin.

In fact, it’s not enough to simply ‘not sin’. You can’t even think sinful thoughts without being held accountable.

Here’s how Jesus put it in the Sermon on the Mount:

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” - Matthew 5:27-28

Jesus chose this example for a great reason: It’s a universal example of our battles with our fleshly desires. Everyone has struggled with lust at some point.

His point is that, to grow spiritually, we have to sacrifice our natural urges. We can’t give in to base instincts and expect to follow Him.

We have to control our thoughts instead of letting them control us.

His following statement shows us how important that is:

If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell. - Matthew 5:29-30

That leaves no room for compromise. It’s so important to avoid habitual sin that you’re better off losing a limb than giving in to it.

He didn’t mean to literally cut off your arm or gouge out your eye, because He knew that they don’t cause sin. Sin starts in your mind and your heart. You have to remove the parts of you that lead to continual sin. Your greed. Your lust. Your anger. They all need to go if you want to follow Him.

He gives a practical application of this in the next verse. I won’t say much about it, because I’m not married, but it completely upends what society tells us about marriage:

“It has been said, ‘Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.’ But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, makes her the victim of adultery, and anyone who marries a divorced woman commits adultery. - Matthew 5:31-32

Jesus is not one to mince words. He doesn’t leave room for uncertainty. He says what He means, and here He makes it clear that marriage is an unbreakable union.

To summarize: In the first verses in this passage, Jesus told us that we should avoid sinning, even in our minds. In the following verses, He emphasized that point by saying we’re better off losing a limb than living in sin. Finally, He gives us the practical example of marriage where we can practice and apply His earlier statements.

Today, consider the following questions based on those ideas:

1. What mental (or physical) sins am I habitually committing?

2. What trigger within (or outside) myself causes those bad decisions?

3. What situation in my life can I use to practice making different choices?

For example, imagine that you struggle with greed. Is your greed caused by a sense that you lack what you need in life? And could you practice the opposite by being more charitable with others?

The purpose of Christianity is to change your heart. Jesus didn’t call us to remain exactly as we are. He called us to transform our hearts, minds, and souls. We can achieve that by changing our thoughts and actions, which begins by changing how we respond to our feelings.

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