Day 26. Growing Through Temptation

Day 26. Growing Through Temptation.

I recently listened to a podcast sermon about “lead me not into temptation.”1 In it the pastor said that the word used was meant to be “test"; and the prayer was one to make us godly people that God no longer needed to test. My guess is that the next line, “and deliver me from the evil one” ought to be trials enough in this life. As I indicated yesterday, Warren uses the term temptation as those troubles caused by Satan. The good news for good people is that Christ has overcome Satan! That means that he has no power over us. We are free to choose wisely! So why do we fail.

“Now the serpent was more crafty than any other.” (Genesis 3.1a) Need I say more? No frontal assaults here. Have you every wondered why the Seven Deadly Sins were not murder and rape and grand larceny and destruction of someone’s soul? Why just pride and envy and anger and sloth (what is that anyway?) and avarice (and that?) and gluttony and lust? They sure don’t seem deadly. That’s the point. The devil is crafty.

If you were told to murder someone or embezzle from you company or destroy your marriage, you would say emphatically, “No way.” But to be angry (that’s my right), be envious (I deserve it), or welcome attraction in the break room from a good-looking coworker (she/he’s lonely and needs someone to care), seem so innocent. Anyway, I can stop anytime. Sure. The evil one has us just where he wants us, just over the crest of the slippery slope.

Warren starts us out on the right path. We need to know posies along the path that play host to the bumble bees and avoid them at all cost. I’ve long been a fan of Luther’s great saying, “You cannot keep the birds from flying over your head, but you can keep them from making a nest in your hair.”

John Wesley would say that if we fill our hearts and minds with love of God and love of neighbor, the choices will come easy. I'm not there yet. So I say..

"Look out for the low, slow birds! And pray!" I like Warren’s instruction, “Cry out.” “But deliver us from evil…” We'll be better for it.

Rick

1Greg Boyd, Woodland Hills Church, "Can God Trust You?" Jan 19, 2008