“and said, “I tell you the truth, unless you turn around and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven!…… If your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life crippled or lame than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into eternal fire. And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter into life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into fiery hell.” Matthew 18:3, 8-9 NET https://bible.com/bible/107/mat.18.3-9.NET

How seriously do we take sin in our lives or in our world? Sin is disobedience to God in thought, word, or deed. God is holy, perfect, righteous, sovereign, all-powerful ruler of the universe. He takes our disobedience against Him quite seriously. He destroyed the earth once and everyone on it except eight people. He removed from His presence and ended His covenant with His chosen people except for a remnant that remained until His human coming. God came to earth as a man. He died on a cross for the sins of humanity, though He pleaded for another way but was denied because the sins of humanity must be punished by a holy, righteous, and just God. This same God will separate Himself again from all humanity over all time who have refused to honor Him as God on His terms. God commands we repent. We must turn around because, from birth, we go the wrong way, our way, instead of humbling ourselves before Him to obey Him always in every way. God commands us to be holy as He is holy by removing from our lives all that keeps us from living lives pleasing to Him all the time. We need to believe in the purity and severity of our God, Who has punished men for sin quite severely and will do so again when His patience, mercy, and grace expire. Until then, let us turn to the Lord and love Him with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, demonstrated by our obedience to everything Jesus has commanded.