JUNE 10, 2013
A
Letter From C. S. Lewis
Read: 1 John 2:9-17
I write to you, little children, because your
sins are forgiven you for His
name’s sake. —1 John 2:12
In
September 1961, Harvey Karlsen, a high school student in Brooklyn, New
York,
wrote to C. S. Lewis in England. Harvey had read Lewis’ book The Screwtape
Letters and asked the author,
“When you wrote this book, did Satan give you any
trouble, and if he did, what
did you do about it?”
Three
weeks later, Lewis penned a reply in which he affirmed that he still had
plenty
of temptations. He said that in facing them, “Perhaps . . . the most important
thing is to keep on;not to be discouraged however often one yields to the
temptation,
but always to pick yourself up again and ask forgiveness.”
The
New Testament letters of John are filled with encouragement to persevere in
the
face of temptation. “I write to you, little children, because your sins are
forgiven
you for His name’s sake. I write to you, fathers, because you have
known Him who
is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, because you
have overcome the
wicked one” (1 John 2:12-13).
Whatever
our age or experience, we are in a spiritual battle together. “The world is
passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides
forever” (v.17).
Let
us cling to God and keep on!
Lord, I get discouraged when I’ve given in again to one
of Satan’s schemes. I’m thankful, though, that Christ
paid for that sin on the cross. Help me to confess it and then
to keep on relying on You for my spiritual growth.
To master temptation, let Christ master you.
Source: Our Daily Bread 2013
