Under the Surface: Week 2 - Monday

Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away. These desires give birth to sinful actions. And when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death. James 1:14-15

My family and I took a vacation to Disney World last year. We had a great time, but you need to know something about my family: we are not the kind of family who will wait hours in line for a ride. We only ride rides with short lines. However, there was one ride that my brother, sister-in-law, and I were willing to wait for a little bit longer for: Avatar Flight of Passage. This ride is widely considered to be the best ride at Disney World, and we wanted to know what the buzz was about. We got to the Animal Kingdom, which is where this ride is located, and ran straight to the ride. We found out that the ride had a 90-minute wait, which for us was not a terrible wait for the best ride at Disney World. As we waited, however, 90 minutes turned into 2 hours, which turned into a whopping four-hour wait for this 5-minute ride. We kept thinking that our wait would be over soon, so we stayed the entire four hours. All of us ended up grumpy and frustrated because we had waited so long. The temptation to ride the "best ride at Disney World" led us where we did not want to go: waiting in a four-hour line. On a much more serious note, that is what temptation always does. It takes us where we do not want to go, and it makes us pay a price we never wanted to spend. James 1 proves this to be true and is a reminder to us not to give in to the temptation when it comes on us.

James 1 gives practical instructions about how a follower of Christ should view temptation. "Remember, when you are being tempted," James writes, "do not say, 'God is tempting me.' God is never tempted to do wrong, and he never tempts anyone" (verse 13). In case anyone becomes confused, James makes it clear that God is not tempted, nor does He tempt anyone. All temptation, James then teaches us, comes as a result of "our own evil desires, which entice us and drag us away" (verse 14). These desires give birth, he explains, to sin, and that sin "gives birth to death" (verse 15). In other words, sin destroys us. This is what happens when we give in to temptation. It takes us exactly where we do not want to go, all the way to destruction and death.

When we give in to any temptation in our lives, it takes us right where we don't want to be, and ultimately it destroys us. We are not exempt from this passage in James. When we say we do not struggle with a temptation to sin, we are only deceiving ourselves. Additionally, we will not be prepared to fight against temptation when it comes. When we do acknowledge our temptations, however, we can better prepare for temptation when it comes. And we must fight against this temptation because it will always take us where we do not want to go.

Laura Courtney
Sagebrush Staff Writer

Moving Toward Action

One thing that is important to know when we face temptation is where we actually want to go. When we know where we want to go with our lives, then we can better say "no" to temptation that will take us away from our desired destinations. So, my question for you today is this: Where do you want to go? What are your goals and dreams for your life? Spend some time journaling an answer to this question. Then, think about how the things that you are tempted by might pull you away from where you want to go. This way, when that temptation comes, you can fight against it knowing the devastating effects that it might have.

Going Deeper

Read James 1:12-18 (NLT)