SEPTEMBER 5, 2012
The
Hidden Door
Read: James
1:12-21
Blessed is the man who endures temptation. —James 1:12
It
wasn’t the first time it happened in sports, and it certainly
won’t be the
last. But perhaps mentioning it again can help keep
us from making a similar
shameful error.
A
college coach—one noted for his Christian character—resigned in
disgrace after
it was discovered that he had violated rules clearly
spelled out by the
National Collegiate Athletic Association. One
magazine article concluded: “His
integrity was one of the great
myths of college football.”
This
was certainly an embarrassing time for the coach, but here’s
the most sobering
part: It can happen to any of us. The temptation
to go behind the hidden door
of secrecy in our lives and do things
that dishonor the Lord haunts us all.
Indeed, we are all capable of
turning our own integrity into a myth—of turning
our testimony for
Jesus into a sham. No matter what the temptation, we are all
vulnerable.
So,
how do we avoid giving in? We acknowledge the universality of
temptation (1
Cor. 10:13). We recognize the dangerous results of
giving in to sin (James
1:13-15). We keep accountable to fellow
believers (Eccl. 4:9-12). And we plead
with God for help not to fall
(Matt. 26:41). Only God’s grace and power can
keep us from falling
and pick us up when we do.
The devil is clever, deceiving us all,
He cunningly causes the strongest to fall;
But we his sly methods are sure to discern
By making God’s warnings our daily concern. —D. De Haan
Each sin has its door of entrance; let’s keep that door closed.
Source:
Our Daily Bread 2012
