It’s So Simple
Temptation
Part Nine

And lead us not into temptation. Isn’t it frightening how many temptations are out there, lurking in every nook and granny, just waiting for me to stumble and fall? I can’t turn on the TV for five minutes without being tempted with something. Food, drugs, and stuff I don’t need and would never even consider if someone wasn’t telling me how much I needed it.

As a society we are being programmed to want bigger, better, more, period! What’s the old saying, “if it feels good, do it!”? Well, maybe not. Maybe I should put a waiting period on temptations, say 24 hours. But if I don’t get (fill in the blank) right now, it’ll be gone and I’ll never have that recipe again. Oh no! (Does that sound remarkably like Macarthur Park to anyone else? Sorry ADD moment) But the truth is if I’m supposed to have it or do it, I will.

The good news is that God has given me promises and this is one of them. My biggest danger is to become too confident in my ability to ward off temptation instead of relying on His ability. It says in 1 Corinthians 10:12-13 “12So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall! 13No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.”

Now how cool is that I say! God knows my weaknesses and will not allow me to be tempted more than I can handle. I just need to agree with God that His way is better than mine and all is well. As always, it’s so simple!

It’s So Simple

Forgive

Part Eight

Ah, forgiveness! Isn’t that a wonderful feeling to be forgiven? A second look allows me to see the entire phrase. “Forgive us our debts (ahhh)… as we forgive our debtors. What!?! As we forgive our debtors? Houston we have a problem. As we forgive our debtors… oh no, I see a potential predicament. Another way to say this is forgive me the same way I forgive others. Ouch! That will bring ones forgiveness buzz to a screeching halt. Now I have to determine how I forgive others. Do I? And if I do, do I do it with grace or do I do it begrudgingly? Is the forgiveness from my head or my heart? So many thoughts so little brain power.

Ok, let’s see what scripture has to say about this. At the end of the Lord’s Prayer Jesus says in Matt 6:14-15 "For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.” Hmmm, seems pretty clear doesn’t it?

To make the point even stronger in Matt 18:23-32 Jesus tells the parable of the worker who owed his king money. The king said pay and the man begged for his dept to be forgiven and the king forgave him. The man then went out and saw a man that owed him far less than he had just been forgiven. But instead of forgiving, he threw the other man in jail! Nice… however, the other workers had seen all of this and they went and told the king what the ingrate had done. The king was not happy and when he got a hold of the man, well… let’s just say it didn’t go well for the ingrate. Then Matt 18:35 says "This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart."

“From your heart”, double ouch! I guess I need to spend some time in my prayer closet and do some heart cleaning… it’s bad enough that I have to clean my house but now I have to clean my heart? If I stop and think about it, even if I don’t like cleaning my house, once it’s done I feel so good. I bet it’s the same with my heart. And of course, it’s so simple!

It’s So Simple
Our Daily Bread
Part Seven

“Give us today our daily bread.” We live in a society that is so spoiled that thinking of our daily bread seems ridicules. Who doesn’t have “our daily bread” and then some? America has always been a prosperous country. Even our poor aren’t really poor. If you have a car, you’re not poor. If you have a cell phone, you’re not poor. If you wear Nike Air sneakers or have a big screen TV… you… are… not… poor! We may not have everything we want but most of us have more than we need.

But the reality is, we are only promised “our daily bread”. Jesus said in Matt 6:25-34 "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 26Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?

28"And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 32For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own”.

I realize that this is a long passage but I believe it’s important to explain “our daily bread”. If we are walking in faith and we look at Christ for our provision, it will be there; it’s God’s promise to us.

As a country we are in difficult times, but I have at least little faith, and God has promised me my daily bread. So I shall take one day at a time. It’s really so simple!

It’s So Simple…
Thy Will
Part Six

Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Now that’s a mouth full. Thy will. God’s will, on earth? As it is in heaven? Sometimes the thought of doing God’s will seems overwhelming. For one thing, I kind of like my will. I’m guessing I’m not alone with that thought. Not that others like my will but each one their own.

It’s very easy for me to think of God’s will in heaven. After all isn’t that what heaven is all about. Just sitting around praising God and doing His will. But when it comes to earth, sometimes heaven seems very far away. Being a Christian isn’t easy. We don’t really sit around all day singing Kum-ba-yah. We work, we play, we raise families, we go to church and sometimes we go to bars. Yes I said bars. In other words we have all the same challenges as non-Christians. But the good news is we have a not-so-secret weapon, His name is Jesus.

I’ve heard many people over the years complain that being a Christian is too hard because of all the rules and regulations. But the reality is, it’s through Christ that we gain our true freedom. And yes, doing His will on earth. But I do His will out of love not fear. That’s not to say I don’t make mistakes or even disobey, but for the most part, I try. I’ve explained it to people as a sports analogy. Have you ever had a coach or teacher or mentor that made you a better you? Remember the feeling of wanting to please that person because they believed in you? The only motivation was to please. That’s how I feel about pleasing God. I want to honor Him because He loved me first. I want to do His will because He calls me to be His hands and feet. And as long as I have His breath in my lungs I will continue. But it’s not because I have to it’s because I want to. That’s just how simple it is.