TEMPTATION
DEVELOPMENT
James
1:13, 17
“When
tempted no one should say, ‘God is tempting me.’ For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does
He tempt anyone; … Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from
the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.”
“Aren’t we glad that God created
people to figure out how to make doughnuts?” twelve year old Cassie mentioned
walking through the cafeteria line. “I especially like glazed doughnuts,” she
said, placing one on her tray.
“I prefer filled doughnuts,” Jeremy
announced, grabbing one of those.
“Filled doughnuts are good, but so
messy!” Cassie exclaimed. “I lose most
of the yummy cream after just one bite!”
“Don’t get me started on frosted
doughnuts!” Jeremy said.
“I hear that, Jeremy!” Cassie
agreed. “Ones with chocolate frosting!”
“Every good and perfect gift is from
above, coming down from the Father” makes me smile heavenward whenever I eat a
doughnut. But doughnuts aren’t on my
diet. They have too many calories for me
to gobble down as freely as I wish.
Have you ever eaten just one doughnut?
Just seeing things we like tempt us
to eat them. Our eyes focus on the food,
and our mouths begin salivating; [SAL-i-vate-ing] means watering. We can taste the item before it’s on our
plates. Interestingly, people can
actually gain weight just by seeing foods.
The digestive process begins in the mouth. Looking at foods, mouths begin producing
enzymes that start digestion.
Even before chewing foods, our body
absorbs calories that the enzymes send to the stomach.
But no one can ever say that God
tempted him—or her—to eat a doughnut!
Take Home Nugget
Any
test, trial or temptation people face must first filter through God’s fingers. He has divine authority to approve or nix
every temptation. Not every temptation
is evil, coming from the devil. Some are
innocent glazed, filled or frosted doughnuts.
God allows temptations to come, but He is
never their source. People give into
temptation all on our own. The lesson
linked below teaches how temptation develops into sin. God allows temptation for our development,
not our destruction.
Sin is the evil that destroys. Sin breaks our fellowship with God. Temptation tests Believers to develop faith—temptation
that God allows—so we do not give into evil.
Apostle Paul confesses that he does that which he doesn’t want to do,
and does not do what he wants to do (Romans 7:19). We understand totally. So does Jesus. Instead of concentrating on the sin, Believers
can choose differently. Temptation
develops shifting focus from the sin to the cure—Jesus Himself!
“Count your blessings, name them one by one;
count your many blessings to see what God has done.” Doughnuts!
Adapted from “Transformed by Temptation,” and “Overcoming
Temptation.” Dr. Tony Evans. April 20 and 23, 2016. The Urban Alternative at LightSource.com or
OnePlace.com.
J.D. Griffith
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