Monday May 15, 2006
No Excuses
“Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation.”
—Mark 14:38
Have you ever been caught in the act of doing something you weren’t supposed to be doing? One day I found my son playing a game on the computer, something he can’t do until he gets done with his school work. With a guilty expression on his face, he looked at me and said, “I couldn’t resist myself.”
That is a correct definition of temptation. When we give into temptation, we like to blame someone else. It’s like Adam caught in the act in the Garden of Eden. The Lord asked, “Did you eat of that tree?” And Adam replied, “It’s the woman You gave Me, Lord. She made me do it” (see Genesis 3:8–12).
But the Bible says a man is tempted when he is drawn by his own lusts and is enticed (see James 1:14). You play a part in giving into temptation. The devil may tempt you. Someone may try to trap you. But they will not succeed unless you give in.
Aaron gives us a classic example of a really bad excuse. Remember when Moses went up to the mountain to receive the commandments of God, he entrusted the people to his brother Aaron. When Moses returned, he saw the people dancing naked around a golden calf. That’s when Aaron came up with this one: “We just threw the gold into the fire and this calf came out.” Now the truth is that Aaron told the people to bring their gold jewelry; he molded it into a calf; and then he encouraged them to worship it.
Perhaps your sin has caught up with you. Perhaps you are contemplating getting involved in a sinful relationship. Perhaps because of your sin you have been overcome with guilt. I want you to know that there is hope for you because God gives second chances.
For more relevant and biblical teaching from Pastor Greg Laurie, go to www.harvest.org.
Copyright © 2006 by Harvest Ministries. All rights reserved.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Bible text from the New King James Version is not to be reproduced in copies or otherwise by any means except as permitted in writing by Thomas Nelson, Inc., Attn: Bible Rights and Permissions, P.O. Box 141000, Nashville, TN 37214-1000.
