Greatness: Matthew 14-20Sample

My son is really good at trying to convince people to do things he wants. I’ve seen him get all his friends into our pool on a cold day — even the ones who didn’t bring their swimsuits. I have to really think about what he is asking before I say yes. I generally think of his persuasion skills as a gift. He’s not embarrassed to ask people to come to youth group or to a church camp. But sometimes he can use it in a not-so-positive way — like wriggling out of doing chores, or worse still, convincing his sibling to do them for him.

Today, Jesus, in a sense, is talking about the skills of persuasion. He warns us not to cause others to sin or tempt them into sin, and to be alert if there are things in our lives that are tempting us to sin. The imagery He uses is very strong. “It would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea” (Matthew 18:6, ESV) than to cause someone else to sin. And it’s better to cut off your hand or foot if it causes you to sin. Jesus’ warning is clear — sin needs to be dealt with.

Today, ponder this: Temptation is such a big thing that it is included in the Lord’s Prayer: “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil” (Matthew 6:13, ESV). How are you living your life to not only avoid falling into temptation but in a way that does not lead others into temptation?