A New Devotion - The Source of Temptation

Here's a new devotion that I wrote. You can find a recording of this devotion at the bottom of the page.

James 1:9-15

Let the believer who is lowly boast in being raised up, and the rich in being brought low, because the rich will disappear like a flower in the field. For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the field; its flower falls, and its beauty perishes. It is the same way with the rich; in the midst of a busy life, they will wither away.

Blessed is anyone who endures temptation. Such a one has stood the test and will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him. No one, when tempted, should say, "I am being tempted by God"; for God cannot be tempted by evil and he himself tempts no one. But one is tempted by one's own desire, being lured and enticed by it; then, when that desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and that sin, when it is fully grown, gives birth to death.

The Source of Temptation

I’ve never been a captive to sweets. I think I could probably live my entire life and never eat another candy bar. But put a bag of Cheetos in front of me or maybe a jar of peanuts, man, I can do a lot of damage. And even though it’s really easy for me to go to a Mall and never buy a thing, if I opened up Ebay on my phone right now, I can guarantee that not only will I put in a bid on something I don’t need, I’ll up the bid until the auction is over and I win. These are a couple of things I know about myself. And even though I’d love to blame salty snacks and online auctions for these issues, I’m aware that the actual source of the temptation is found within me. You see, it’s all on the inside, and for that reason, I can only resist when I rein myself in.

But isn’t that what James said about all temptations? I mean, even though we might we want to say that we’re being tested by God or that the Devil made me do it, a desire to sacrifice our faith and our integrity for the sake of something else, that comes from our interior. And it’s those inner drives that move us to grab the very things that Jesus resisted when he was going toe-to-toe with the devil in the wilderness: to put personal wants above human need and to push the limits of God’s love and to bend our knees to devilish values for the sake of earthly power. Our willingness to compromise what we know God was called and equipped us to be is the source of temptation. And for that reason, we can only keep it under control by recognizing it, choosing to resist it and making ourselves accountable when we fail.