TENTING: Draping an entire building with huge & heavy tarps so that it can be intensively fumigated.
It must be done to the building which has lots of bugs or pests which are a real problem!
Tenting is a drastic, labour-intensive & expensive measure which is seen as being necessary & worth doing although it is also inconvenient & disruptive.
Jesus taught in Matthew 5:29-30: “And if you’re right eye makes you stumble, tear it out, and throw it from you; for it is better for you that one of the parts of your body parish, then for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand makes you stumble, cut it off, and throw it from you; for it is better for you that one of the the parts of your body perish, then for your whole body to go into hell.”
Jesus was not recommending literal self-mutilation. Nowhere in the New Testament do we read of any committed follower of Christ walking around without a hand or an eye.
The Lord was using a figure of speech: Hyperbole.
He was using intentional exaggeration to emphasize practical point.
And His point was/is – do what ever it takes to avoid sin in your life. Even the drastic and expensive thing.
Some common examples of hyperbole would be:
“I’m so hungry I could eat a horse.”
“I’m so tired I could fall asleep on a clothesline.”
“School comes easy to him: He takes in knowledge by osmosis.”
“The U.S. sneezes and the Bahamas gets a cold!”
Believer, could it be that there are some drastic measures which you need to take now to avoid sin?
At work? Your TV? Your computer? The people you spend time with?
Do what it takes!
If you don’t know what it takes, consult the Word.
Chat a more mature, trusted Christian.
Figure out the circumstances when you most often are tempted. Determine if you have anything or anyone ranking higher than The Lord Jesus in your heart.
Do what it takes. Fumigated buildings are restored to their useful function.
Jesus says that sometimes drastic, inconveniently and expensive measures must be chosen by us so that we will live holy & God-honouring lives.
This is the side of our house. Notice the razor & barb wire & padlocked gate.
More is caught by children than is taught to children. These precious little girls enter deeply into worship of Jesus because they want to … and they want to because their parents wanted to first.
We guard what we love.
Sometimes you have to sit very still and be washed. And then you can drive safely again.
I think that it was A. W. Tozer who said: “Every man is as holy as he really wants to be.”
“Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith.” – Galatians 3:24
I made a startling discovery. It was when I was tending to my garbage.