Tag: temptation

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Temptation

Daily Reading

Judges 16-18

Daily Thought

Samson had God’s strength… ”Then the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon him, and although he had nothing in his hand, he tore the lion in pieces as one tears a young goat” (Judges 14:6).

…but he loved Delilah. “After this he loved a woman in the Valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah” (Judges 16:4).

David had God’s heart… “The Lord has sought out a man after his own heart, and the Lord has commanded him to be prince over his people” (1Samuel 13:14).

…but he loved Bathsheba. “He saw from the roof a woman bathing; and the woman was very beautiful. And David sent and inquired about the woman” (2Samuel 11:2-3).

Solomon had God’s wisdom… “Behold, I give you a wise and discerning mind, so that none like you has been before you and none like you shall arise after you” (1Kings 3:12).

…but he loved one thousand women. “He had 700 wives, who were princesses, and 300 concubines. And his wives turned away his heart” (1Kings 11:3).

Lest I fool myself, believing I can resist temptation on my own, I should remember that I am not stronger than Samson, more godly than David, nor wiser than Solomon.

One of the scribes asked Jesus, “Which commandment is the most important of all?” Jesus answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your mind and with all your strength” (Mark 12:28, 30).

Daily Prayer

Almighty God of Wisdom, God of Love, I pray that my heart reflects Your heart. You have made me for a purpose. I am Your workmanship. May I keep my eyes on Jesus. May I fully love You. May I not find things attractive that would steal my devotion to You.

With all my heart, with all my mind, with all my strength, I love You.

Ame

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Look Up

Daily Reading

Judges 3-5

Daily Thought

“And the people of Israel again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord.” Again. That’s putting it mildly. The verse is Judges 3:12, but it is also Judges 2:11; 3:7; 4:1; 6:1; 10:6; and 13:1. What is astonishing is they do all this bad behavior while God is looking down on them.

This guy walking along the sidewalk near the middle school in our neighborhood had finished a can of coke. I watched him glance to his left, then over his shoulder, and seeing the coast was clear, toss the can into the hedge on his right. Let’s think through his thought process. He is walking, looking forward and no one is there. Left, no one; behind, no one. He does not have to look down since that is the ground, and the hedge is on his right. No one is looking, so it is safe to litter. Forward, behind, left, right, and down, he had every direction covered. Except up. He did not look up. He did not think about God.

God was watching the Israelites, but they were not thinking about God. The book of Judges begins with the generation after the generation of Joshua. “And there arose another generation after them who did not know the Lord” (Joshua 2:10). Little wonder “the people of Israel again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord.” They were not looking up.

“If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth” (Colossians 3:1-2).

Daily Prayer

Heavenly Father, by Your grace I am saved. Not by anything I did. I add nothing. Your Son, Jesus Christ, paid the price for my sins by His death on the cross. I was dead in my sins and you raised me up. You gave me life, a life overflowing.

I am Your workmanship, made to do good works. Father, You lead and I follow and You get the glory and I have a life that is full and satisfying and good. On the night before Jesus died, He ate bread with His disciples and drank from the cup, and said, from now on whenever I do this, remember He gave His life for me. God, may I always remember, never forget, always look up.

Amen

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The Allure of Sin

Daily Reading

Genesis 38-40

Daily Thought

Sin was introduced with the serpent who questioned God’s goodness when he asked Eve, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” (Genesis 3:1). This is the heart of temptation, that good may be found outside God, that God may be keeping something desirable from us. The same serpent was speaking when Potiphar’s wife “cast her eyes on Joseph and said, ‘Lie with me’” (Genesis 39:7). She looked good.

Joseph’s situation was like Adam and Eve’s in the Garden of Eden, “My master has put everything that he has in my charge” (Genesis 39:8-9) …except one thing. The difference was Adam and Eve kept looking at the sin, “the woman saw that the tree was good for food” (Genesis 3:6). Joseph kept his eyes on God, “How then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?” (Genesis 39:9). 

A man ran up to Jesus, knelt before him and asked, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone” (Mark 10:17-18). 

Joseph “would not listen to her, to lie beside her or to be with her” (Genesis 39:10), because Joseph knew there is nothing good without God. We choose good over evil when our attraction to God is greater than the allure of sin. Worship is greater than willpower.

Daily Prayer

My God, how wonderful is Your love for me, Your attention to my life, Your wisdom and direction in leading me forward. You ask me, simple enough, to follow. You do not ask me to win any battles, but to stand in the victory already won by Your Son.   

I shall spend my days exploring the Your wonders of Your revelation. You have made Yourself known in Your Word, and in the Word, which is Jesus. May I everyday become more intimate with You, and may I reflect Your grace and truth to a world that desperately needs the faith, hope, and love of the good news of Jesus Christ.    

Amen