Radical Measures

The film 127 Hours tells the true story of Aron Ralston, who was rock climbing alone in Utah when a boulder shifted and pinned his arm. He tried everything he could to get out from under the boulder, but nothing was working.

Two days passed, and he was hungry, thirsty, and cold. He realized that no one was coming to rescue him. He also knew there was only one way he could get out of there. He would need to take the worst step imaginable if he wanted to live. He needed to cut off his own arm.

So he did. He used a pocketknife, and it took a long time. Then he rappelled 65 feet to the canyon floor and walked out. I guess he figured it would be better to be alive with only one arm than to be dead with two. So, he took radical action.

In Matthew 5 Jesus said, “So if your eye—even your good eye—causes you to lust, 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 hand—even your stronger 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 be thrown into hell” (verses 29–30 NLT).

Now, Jesus wasn’t speaking literally here, because even if you cut off your right hand, for instance, you could still sin with your left hand.

The heart of the problem is the problem of the heart. It all comes down to the heart. That’s why you must decisively and quickly deal with whatever causes you to fall into sin.

So, do what needs to be done.