The difference between you and a toaster
If people are tempted by such trials, they must not say, "This temptation comes from God." For God cannot be tempted by evil, and he himself tempts no one. But people are tempted when they are drawn away and trapped by their own evil desires. James 1 : 13 - 14 (GNB) |
Our daily lives are filled with decisions. Some big, some small, some tricky and others essentially automatic. From the very second you wake up you make a choice. Do you get up or do you roll over and catch a few more moments sleep?
Freedom to make choices is one of the wonderful gifts that God has given us. It is an ability that separates us from mere machines. It changes us from existing as an object bound to the control of others to living as a being, with the ability to control your own life. It is why you are a human and not a toaster.
Some of the decisions we have to make are a choice between God's way and another way. These decisions are the focus of our passage. The Bible calls these choices temptation, essentially all temptation means is choosing an option that we know goes against what God wants for us.
God doesn't plant ideas, wants or desires in our minds that go against him. He isn't the one who is trying to knock you off course. So we should not blame him when we have to face these choices. Similarly we shouldn't blame God when we choose an option that we know to be bad, and as a result it all goes wrong. Learning to avoid both our own and the Devil's evil desires are key life skills that we need to thrive and live out our purpose.
We need to remember that we are people not toasters. We have the power to make choices in our own lives. It is our job to make sure the decisions we make are wise ones, decisions that God would approve of no matter how tempting the alternative is. Have a great week.
This week's song is Open by Samuel Lane. |
Header image by: Karen Booth via Flickr