Diane Staudte was quietly respectable; the organist for her
church, a registered nurse – and she is a murderer! First, she killed her husband, then her son,
and finally attempted to murder her daughter.
The story is stunning, shocking, evil dressed in middle American
clothing. This woman’s self-professed
motive left me amazed in the worse kind of way.
She just got tired of caring for those in her family that she felt were ‘pests.’
That is depravity. Even as we shake our
heads at her sin, let remember that temptation
is common to us all. I have heard all kinds of confessions over the years. And
yes, I know the lure of temptation, too.
Paul reminds us that "The temptations in your life are no different from what others
experience.” Tempted by doubt?
Others have experienced it. Feeling the
grip of greed? That is as common as a cold.
Tugged toward selfishness? Yes,
that is an ordinary kind of temptation, too.
Some people conclude that since temptation is ‘normal,’ that is, a
common human experience, we need not fight it, unless is one of the so-called ‘big
sins.’ But, the passage I quoted a few
lines ago completes the thought: “God is
faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When
you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure."
(1 Corinthians 10:13, NLT)
Our natural response to temptation is usually two-fold – “I
must be a terrible person,” and “I will redouble my efforts to resist this
thing.” Tell me, how is that working out
for you? Have you succeeded in
eliminating temptation by focusing on it?
I doubt it. More likely, you have a track record of broken promises and
prayers of remorse and repentance. In
the seventh chapter of Romans, Paul describes the frustration of knowing about
a better way to live without being able to actually achieve it. He writes "I
have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I
inevitably do what is wrong. I love God’s law with all my heart. But there is
another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a
slave to the sin that is still within me." (Romans 7:21-23, NLT)
Before we hasten justify ourselves and make peace with whatever
it is that trips us up, let’s see the further wisdom here. "I’m at the end of my rope. Is there no one who can do anything
for me? Isn’t that the real question? The
answer, thank God, is that Jesus Christ can and does. He acted to set things right in this life of contradictions where
I want to serve God with all my heart and mind, but am pulled by the influence
of sin to do something totally different. With the arrival of Jesus, the
Messiah, that fateful dilemma is resolved. Those who enter into Christ’s
being-here-for-us no longer have to live under a continuous, low-lying black
cloud. A new power is in operation. The Spirit of life in Christ, like a strong
wind, has magnificently cleared the air, freeing you from a fated lifetime of
brutal tyranny at the hands of sin and death." (Romans 7:24-8:2, The
Message)
It sounds too good be true, doesn’t it? There is freedom
from guilt. Condemnation need not overwhelm us. Temptation can be defeated.
How? By the intervention of the Spirit who enters our lives through faith in
Jesus Christ. The one thing that the devil does not want us to believe is that
God loves us, right where we are. Our natural
mind is trained to think that only when we are “good enough” will we enjoy the
love of our Father. But the truth is
that "God showed his great love for
us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners."
(Romans 5:8, NLT) If we really want to rob temptation of its power to control
us, we will focus on His love, live
authentically before Him and others, acknowledging our temptation and our sin
as well as His amazing grace.
“Ah, come on, Jerry. You know that can’t be true. We need
more rules. We need more accountability. We need to raise the stakes by heating
up the fire of Hell.” No, friend, that is the natural mind speaking, not the
wisdom of God! Sin cannot be regulated out of existence- not in society, not in
you, nor in me. When we write more laws,
we create more offenders. "All that
passing laws against sin did was produce more lawbreakers. But sin didn’t, and
doesn’t, have a chance in competition with the aggressive forgiveness we call
grace. When it’s sin versus grace, grace wins hands down." (Romans
5:20, The Message)
Here is the truth. Whether your struggle is with some ‘ordinary’
sin – selfishness, gossip, for example -
or much more dramatic – Christ Jesus is the answer. Of course, you will
have to engage in the struggle. Understanding ourselves with the help of godly
counsel is important. Coming to grips
with the ways of the mind and the lure of sin cannot be avoided. But, baseline,
victory comes through the intervention of the Holy Spirit.
Meditate on this word from the Word. The Truth will
set you free! "So now there is no
condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. And because you belong to
him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin
that leads to death. The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the
weakness of our sinful nature. So God did what the law could not do. He sent
his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God
declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our
sins." (Romans 8:1-3, NLT)
"So letting your
sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control
your mind leads to life and peace." (Romans 8:6, NLT)
__________
And Can It Be?
And can it be that I
should gain,
An interest in the
Savior's blood?
Died He for me who
caused His pain,
For me, who Him to
death pursued.
Amazing love, how can
it be,
That Thou, my God,
shouldst die for me?
He left His Father's
throne above,
So free, so infinite
His grace.
Emptied Himself of all
but love
And bled for Adam's
helpless race.
'Tis mercy all immense
and free,
For, O my God, it
found out me!
Long my imprisoned
spirit lay
Fast bound in sin and
nature's night.
Thine eye diffused a
quickening ray,
I woke, the dungeon
flamed with light.
My chains fell off my
heart was free.
I rose went forth and
followed Thee!
No condemnation now I
dread,
Jesus, and all in Him
is mine,
Alive in Him, my
living Head
And clothed in
righteousness divine.
Bold I approach
th'eternal throne
And claim the crown
through Christ my own!
Charles Wesley
© Words: Public Domain
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