Resisting Temptation

Sometimes an interesting Biblical lesson will come to me during the most benign of circumstances. Such was the case last week as I drove down the freeway.

When I am paying attention to my speed, I typically drive at or slightly above the speed limit. So there I was on I-10, doing my typical 60-65 mph. As usual, quite a few people were passing by, no doubt some of them giving me dirty looks, etc. Checking my speed once again, I knew I was in the right. And that's when it hit me.

I asked myself how often do I find myself doing what the Bible tells me is right while the rest of the world is doing the opposite - and is quite okay with doing the opposite.

In church this last week we heard the story of Jesus being baptized in the Jordan River [Matthew 3:13-17] The next thing he did was go into the Wilderness for 40 days and 40 nights. It was there that Satan tempted him - three times in fact. Yet Jesus prevailed [Matthew 4:1-11], and in doing so, he modeled to us how to resist temptation.

Ah, but Jesus knows we are but human. Please note that the Lord's Prayer does not contain the phrase, "help us not to give in to temptation." When we pray to God, "lead us not into temptation," we are asking him to take away the temptation altogether before we have a chance to succumb to it.

I'm a diabetic who loves chocolate. That's not a good thing if I know there's chocolate around. I'm quite likely to go grab some of that chocolate for the short-term satisfaction I get despite the long-term ill-effects on my health. Sound familiar? Has anyone here never experienced that? But if that chocolate is nowhere around my home or office, or anywhere else I happen to be lurking around, then I'm pretty safe.

We Christians hold the light of the world, yet the world wants to blow it out. Don't let the world blow it out - let that little light of yours shine. And if you need God's help to lead you away from temptation, just ask him. Amen.