Matthew 5:29-30

 This morning a few verses were brought to my attention: Matthew 5:29-30. My little brother mentioned them in our family prayer time this morning and they are something I have been pondering over for a little while now.
   "If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell." -Jesus, Matthew 5:29-30 NIV 
 This is actually something that God has been challenging me with over and over for the past couple of months. Not so much that we should start hacking off our body parts, but that we need to be willing to give up the earthly possessions and pleasures that distract us from God's will in our lives.
 For me personally I know I have to give up some things that are very important to me; not because God doesn't want us to be happy and enjoy things in this life, but because he wants us to place him as the top priority rather than earthly treasures that will not matter in the end.
 This is a supremely tough struggle, especially in today's American culture where we deny ourselves nothing and chase after whatever we momentarily desire. This is why we are ranked so high in obesity and we have so many young people getting abortions and using birth control, but that's not what I wanted to write about today.
 Anyway, what I really wanted to ponder over and hit on was the necessity of letting go of unnecessary things in our lives and focusing on really pursuing a relationship with God and striving to do his will rather than letting our never-ending cravings distract us from what is ultimately important in this life.
 I know this is a touchy subject, but I just was pondering over it and hoped that I could encourage other Christians to ponder its importance in their own lives as well.