James 1:13-15
"When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death."
When I read the title of this devotion assignment, the power chords and gritty vocals of AC/DC’s Highway to Hell began to flood my mind. I immediately recalled the song lyrics and the death of the lead singer of this 1979 hit, Bon Scott, who died of alcohol poisoning just seven months after the song’s release. But nope, that is NOT the story that I’m going to share with you today. I’ve got another goodie from 1979.
Growing up, my dad would allow me to go to the lake and swim as long as the ice was fully melted and the air temp was 50 degrees Fahrenheit or higher. Even in April, I could be found plunging in the cold icy water of the small inland lake in Orion Township or in my canoe. I loved to fish. My dad bought me a blue canoe and he fabricated a trolley by welding an axle cart onto two old ten-speed bicycle tires. I’d bungee my cane pole and bucket of night crawlers atop that canoe and then I spent my days paddling along the wooded shoreline fishing and hunting snapping turtles. I caught my fair share of bass, perch, bluegill, catfish, crappie, and a few northern pike. The day I graduated from that cane pole to a sweet “bluelight special” rod and reel from Kmart is when I really upped my tactics. Without YouTube or Google, I relied on hours of trial and error; I switched up bait, location, sinkers, bobbers, time of day, technique, and experienced a lot of dumb luck. I did have a lot of fun and actually caught a lot of fish. These memories are a big part of my life’s highlight reel.
The writer of this passage, James, uses a metaphor drawn from the realm of fishing and hunting; "enticed" to help illustrate how temptation works, and the dangers of succumbing to it. Far too many times I have been lured out, tricked with a lie, trapped and dragged towards death. How timely it is that our Growth Group just finished a study on James. The author, Francis Chan said; “It’s this picture of a fish going for the bait, like being lured. Something in him going, ‘I want to go for it, I want to go for it.’ We know that feeling—something that we know is wrong, but we want it anyways. There’s something in us that longs for something that God says is wrong or evil, but we want it anyway. You have a choice at that moment. Just like that fish that’s being lured away, either I go and I grab it, or I swim away. That’s what sin is going to do to you. It’s going to look so good and you’re going to anticipate, “this is going to bring me pleasure” but every single time it’s going to lead to death. At some point, whether in this life or the next, it’s going to end in this awful depression of, “Oh, I thought it was going to end well.” And it ends in death and misery . . . “
There is no shortage of bait out there in the world, no lack of enticing invitations—invitations to sin that are all wrapped up with a pretty bow, only to deliver destruction and death. Remember, you will be tempted, but what God gives you is better than whatever is tempting you.
What is your strategy to fight temptation? Commit to “win the moment” for the protection of your family!
"When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death."
When I read the title of this devotion assignment, the power chords and gritty vocals of AC/DC’s Highway to Hell began to flood my mind. I immediately recalled the song lyrics and the death of the lead singer of this 1979 hit, Bon Scott, who died of alcohol poisoning just seven months after the song’s release. But nope, that is NOT the story that I’m going to share with you today. I’ve got another goodie from 1979.
Growing up, my dad would allow me to go to the lake and swim as long as the ice was fully melted and the air temp was 50 degrees Fahrenheit or higher. Even in April, I could be found plunging in the cold icy water of the small inland lake in Orion Township or in my canoe. I loved to fish. My dad bought me a blue canoe and he fabricated a trolley by welding an axle cart onto two old ten-speed bicycle tires. I’d bungee my cane pole and bucket of night crawlers atop that canoe and then I spent my days paddling along the wooded shoreline fishing and hunting snapping turtles. I caught my fair share of bass, perch, bluegill, catfish, crappie, and a few northern pike. The day I graduated from that cane pole to a sweet “bluelight special” rod and reel from Kmart is when I really upped my tactics. Without YouTube or Google, I relied on hours of trial and error; I switched up bait, location, sinkers, bobbers, time of day, technique, and experienced a lot of dumb luck. I did have a lot of fun and actually caught a lot of fish. These memories are a big part of my life’s highlight reel.
The writer of this passage, James, uses a metaphor drawn from the realm of fishing and hunting; "enticed" to help illustrate how temptation works, and the dangers of succumbing to it. Far too many times I have been lured out, tricked with a lie, trapped and dragged towards death. How timely it is that our Growth Group just finished a study on James. The author, Francis Chan said; “It’s this picture of a fish going for the bait, like being lured. Something in him going, ‘I want to go for it, I want to go for it.’ We know that feeling—something that we know is wrong, but we want it anyways. There’s something in us that longs for something that God says is wrong or evil, but we want it anyway. You have a choice at that moment. Just like that fish that’s being lured away, either I go and I grab it, or I swim away. That’s what sin is going to do to you. It’s going to look so good and you’re going to anticipate, “this is going to bring me pleasure” but every single time it’s going to lead to death. At some point, whether in this life or the next, it’s going to end in this awful depression of, “Oh, I thought it was going to end well.” And it ends in death and misery . . . “
There is no shortage of bait out there in the world, no lack of enticing invitations—invitations to sin that are all wrapped up with a pretty bow, only to deliver destruction and death. Remember, you will be tempted, but what God gives you is better than whatever is tempting you.
What is your strategy to fight temptation? Commit to “win the moment” for the protection of your family!