Published 2-19-20
Read 1 Corinthians 10:13
"No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it."
Reflect
How has God given you a "way of escape"? (Please explain.)
Face it, we're all spiritually sick. (That's why some refer to God as the "Great Physician," right?) Yet as Christ is transforming and healing each one of us, we get weak and impatient ... and many of us otherwise good Christian people end up doing some really bad things.
This virus, of course, is sin.
It poisons our thoughts, twists our actions, and blocks our lives from being what we know God wants it to be. It keeps our faith walk stuck and bedridden--instead of healthy and growing. "There's nobody living right, not even one, nobody who knows the score, nobody alert for God. They've all taken the wrong turn; they've all wandered down blind alleys. No one's living right, I can't find a single one. Their throats are gaping graves, their tongues slick as mud slides. Every word they speak is tinged with poison. They open their mouths and pollute the air. They race for the honor of sinner-of-the-year, litter the land with heartbreak and ruin, don't know the first thing about living with others. They never give God the time of day," (Romans 3:10-18, The Message.)
Sin begins with a subtle pang of temptation. If we allow it to take hold, it can grow into a deadly "lifequake," wreaking havoc and turmoil in our lives. That's why Jesus warned us to be on guard: "There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. What you have said in the dark will be heard in the daylight, and what you have whispered in the ear in the inner rooms will be proclaimed from the roofs" (Luke 12:2-3).
But we have a choice. Through Christ we can overcome temptation and sin.
Pray
Lord Jesus, help me to trust that You are always for me, helping me to resist temptation--giving me a way of escape. Amen.