ruthless

"I chased my enemies and caught them; I did not stop until they were conquered." (Psalm 18:37, NLT)

"If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It's better to enter eternal life with only one hand than to go into the unquenchable fires of hell with two hands." (Mark 9:43)

Now, I like my hands a lot. They fit so nicely in my husband's grasp; they express my heart with the varied touch I apply to the keys of a piano; they hold tiny Mr. Noah as we dance together with joy.

An odd word came to mind connecting these verses--ruthless.

What are the enemies that I must pursue and conquer, the sins that I must cut out of my life? Anger, fear, hatred for starters. Chase 'em down and conquer them.

Strange word, ruthless. It simply means "having no pity". So rather than justifying a bad attitude or blaming others--stop the pity party with sin.

Imagine my surprise when I turned to the study note in my Bible--"We must be ruthless in removing sin from our lives now in order to avoid suffering for eternity. Make your choices from an eternal perspective."

God speaks. Will I have the courage to be ruthless?