The gifted actor’s
life came to a tragic end on Sunday. Philip Seymour Hoffman’s body was found in
his bathroom with a needle stuck in his arm, surrounded by small empty bags
that had contained heroin, most likely laced with fentynal, a powerful drug
used as a painkiller and surgical anesthetic. He had a long history of
addiction, had been in rehab, and being an intelligent man he had to know the
risks to which he was exposing himself. Yet, he injected himself.
What combination of sorrows, disappointment, insecurity,
and the allure of euphoria tempted him so powerfully that he was willing to put
his very life on the line? We will never
know. Before we throw stones at the man, let’s remember that all of us are tempted. Heroin has no
allure for me, but pride does!
What tempts you? What offers you comfort, pleasure, or escape
in an illicit way? All of God’s gifts to
us are subject to abuse or misuse. Food,
sex, money, pleasure, accomplishment, health, status – these and many more
things are good when we understand
their place and/or purpose. But, each of us in our own unique way is subject to
the lure, tempted to take the gift and turn into a god, seeking from it what it
can never provide.
Temptation arises
from three sources, the Bible says; the world, the sinful nature, and the Devil!
The world we live in attempts to
squeeze us into conformity. “You will find
real happiness if you play by our rules,” the culture insists. The lie is
subtle, but insistent, told again and again.
For Americans, it centers on Self.
Get more. Be more. Control more. When life goes in a direction that we
did not choose, the world around us seems even more alluring.
We all have a sinful nature that
only the Spirit of God can conquer. The
sinful nature tempts us mostly through the appetites of our body, hence the Bible’s
term, “the flesh.” When we are feeling
pain, we may crave food, sex, or the high of alcohol or drugs!
On some occasions,
the Devil himself sends his demons
to whisper their deceiving thoughts into our mind. They work at bringing doubt
of God’s love, or at tricking us to chase a mirage of some magical escape from
our present situation, or to abuse the very gifts of God. When Jesus was alone in the wilderness, He
encountered the Devil in each of these ways. He met each test with the Truth of the Word
and was the victor. (Matthew 4)
Temptation becomes
more acute when we go through times that test us. That is why Jesus’ prayer
includes that memorable line, “lead us
not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” God does not actively dangle sin in front of
us to see if He can trip us up. He does,
however, allow us to live in a world full of tests that reveal our motives and
understanding. If we hold tightly to Him, if we pray for eyes to see the Truth,
about ourselves, our world, and yes, about the Devil who is so adept at
disguise, we will grow a deeper, stronger faith through those tests.
The Scripture
urges two responses to temptation that seem at odds. In both of his letters to Timothy, Paul urged
him to ‘flee’ from temptation! "Man
of God, flee from all this, and
pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness."
(1 Timothy 6:11, NIV) A few years later,
he offered the same advice, underlining the importance. "Flee the evil desires of youth, and
pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the
Lord out of a pure heart." (2 Timothy 2:22, NIV) Most the time when we feel ourselves drawn
towards sin, the best choice is to turn and run straight to our Father! If
David had turned quickly away from the beauty of Bathsheba, if he had gone to
find a wise friend, he would have never become an adulterer! When we stand around admiring that thing that
is so alluring, we are drawn to destruction, like the proverbial moth to a
flame!
James counsels
another response, one that is more appropriate when evil comes to us, when we
are attacked. "Resist the devil, and
he will flee from you." (James 4:7, NIV) The Message says it this way: "So let God work his will in you. Yell a loud
no to the Devil and watch him scamper." (James 4:7, The Message) In Christ, we are secure and strong. We can
speak to evil and, because of His authority, it must yield. When we feel the presence of evil, we say “In
the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ, leave me alone!” Luther wrote, “did we in our own strength confide, our striving would be losing were
not the right Man on our side, the Man of God’s own choosing!”
Tempted? We all
are, some days more powerfully than others.
But here’s the word from the Word.
Note that the power is not in our persuasion or our personality. We stand ‘in Christ!’
"What shall we say about such wonderful
things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us?" (Romans
8:31, NLT) "Overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. And I am
convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor
life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries
about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No
power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation
will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in
Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:37-39, NLT)
_______
Farther Along
Tempted and tried we're oft made to wonder,
Why it should be thus all the day long.
While there are others living about us,
Never molested tho in the wrong.
Farther along, we'll know all about it.
Farther along, we'll understand why.
Cheer up my brother live in the sunshine,
We'll understand it all by and by.
“Faithful ‘till death” said our loving Master.
A few more days to labor and wait.
Toils of the road will then seem as nothing,
As we sweep thru the beautiful gate.
Farther along, we'll know all about it.
Farther along, we'll understand why.
Cheer up my brother live in the sunshine,
We'll understand it all by and by.
J. R., Jr. Baxter
| W. B. Stevens
© 1937 Stamps -
Baxter Music (Admin. by Brentwood-Benson Music Publishing, Inc., 741 Cool
Springs Blvd., Franklin TN 37067)
CCLI License #
810055
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