Today’s Verse—Philippians 4:8
Finally, my brothers and sisters, always think about what is
true. Think about what is noble, right and pure. Think about
what is lovely and worthy of respect. If anything is excellent or
worthy of praise, think about those kinds of things.
Are bugs really that dumb? They see a light. They’re attracted to it, and they begin to fly toward it. “Mmmm . . . light.” As they get closer, they begin to smell something. What could that be? Oh, I see. It’s the electrocuted corpses of my friends. Suddenly they hear a BZZZT! And one of their friends that just reached the light suddenly falls from the sky and dies instantly. If you were a bug, what conclusion would you come to? I don’t know . . . maybe . . . stay away from the light!
And still, bugs can’t resist it. But are they really any dumber than we are?
How many times have we fallen into the same temptation over and over again? We’re tempted by sin, and for some reason, we still drift toward it. First Corinthians 10:13 says, “You are tempted in the same way all other human beings are. God is faithful. He will not let you be tempted any more than you can take.”
Here are some tips for avoiding (or resisting) the “light.” First, don’t ever think you’re strong enough to handle temptation by yourself. Don’t walk into a situation where you know you may sin, thinking that you’re fine. God will help you, but on your own, you’re weak. Second, don’t let temptation stick around too long. Cut it off as soon as you can. In the Odyssey episode “B-TV: Temptation” (album 49), there was a story about Mary, whose father told her to stay away from the heckleberry bush because it was poisonous. She didn’t listen to her father, and instead of cutting it down when it was small, she let it grow. Soon it got out of control, and she couldn’t get rid of the plant. Eventually they just had to build a fence around it. Don’t let temptation sit there. Take care of it now.
Connie’s Corner
I used to be tempted by gossip magazines. Every time I got in line at the grocery store, I would see the covers of those magazines, and most of the time, I would buy one. You know what I did? I started going to checkout aisle number four. It didn’t have those magazines. That was my register, even if it had the longest line. I figured I would cut the temptation off at the source.
Third, pray. It’s harder to give in to temptation when you’re in the presence of God. Pray or sing a praise song. Fourth, get someone to help you. Tell a friend about your struggles and invite him or her to ask you about it when you’re tempted. It makes it harder to sin if you know someone’s going to ask you about it later. Fifth, repent quickly. We’ll talk about that in the next devotional.
It isn’t a sin to be tempted. It’s a sin only if you give in to it. God will be right there to help if you just ask Him to.
Daily Challenge
Make a list of your worst temptations. Decide on a strategy for removing these things from your life.
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Overcoming Sin Theme Memory Verse—Romans 3:23–24
Everyone has sinned. No one measures up to God’s glory. The free gift of God’s grace makes all of us right with him. Christ Jesus paid the price to set us free.