When – Not If – You are Tempted
Temptation is not avoidable, but sin is.
According to the OSHA website (www.osha..gov) over 5,000 workers died from on-the-job accidents in 2008. Reading through a scrolling report of recent fatalities brings one to the conclusion that OSHA believes most of them were avoidable with the proper practice of safety measures. If you’re in the construction or production business you know how constantly job safety is stressed – not just knowing how past accidents happened, but also practicing the safety measures presently available.
They’re for everyone’s good. And they work.
Here’s the number one safety measure for Christians who want to avoid sin-accidents: “God is faithful.” That means he’s present. God is working in your life. He’s around you. He’s even in your temptations with you.
And on top of that, his most important work is already done. He has buried your sinful failures under the spiritual rock of Christ. Self-assurances turns to Christ-assurance as you stand forgiven on that rock, build your faith on that rock, and storms come but you don’t fall off that rock. And on top of that God now strengthens you to be more rock-like yourself through the spiritual food and drink of Christ’s own body and blood. Baptized into his resurrection strength, your sins are buried daily and Christ’s new life is your new life.
With these safety measures God promises in 1 Corinthians 10 that he “will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear … when you are tempted … you can stand up under it.” Understand from this that temptations are certain for the Christian. When you are tempted. Not if you are tempted.
But even more certain is God’s present faithfulness. Temptation is not avoidable, but sin is, because God limits temptation to your personal threshold of “what you can bear.” It is always within your ability to resist any temptation in your life. God knows what you can resist and what you cannot, and prevents you from experiencing temptation you cannot resist so that “you can stand up under it.”
Like a good physical therapist or trainer, God will know and increase your threshold. He wants you to strengthen you spiritually. You may feel like your threshold is 20 pushups; he’ll push you to 30. You think your threshold is bench pressing 100 pounds; he’ll put 110 pounds on the rack. You have never run more than 10K and he’ll take you on a marathon. You’ll struggle. You’ll sweat. You’ll think it’s bad. But it’s good. You can bear it. You can stand up under it. You can avoid sin hazards because of the safety measure of God’s present faithfulness.
PRAYER: Christ, my Rock and Refuge, make me strong, make me resilient to temptation, make me stable and unmovable in your forgiving promises, and make me more like you every day. Know my thresholds and limits, and push me beyond them while also giving me the courageous faith to submit to you. Keep me from temptation, and when you decide I must stand up under it, remind me to remain in you. Amen.