If your tooth offends you, pluck it out. That’s not quite how the Bible verse goes, but it was my recent experience. After numerous visits to the dentist it seemed to me, and ultimately to the dentist too, the best solution would be to remove the offending tooth. It wasn’t something I wanted to do, but I knew, compared to the pain and issues I had faced, this would be the best way forward. It reminded me of when Jesus said, “If your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire” (Matthew 18:9). Jesus’ advice seems so extreme, but the point he is making is clear. How often do we tolerate things in our lives that hurt us spiritually? A bad habit. A lust. Or even an obsession with something seemingly innocent like sport or social media or shopping. These are things that can hurt us spiritually. We try and fix them. We try and control them. But sometimes, as Jesus said, the best and only path is to remove them completely. Ultimately, losing one small “tooth” is nothing compared to the eternity God is offering us. Open Bible – https://bit.ly/Mat18v8-9 (Craig B)
