BBD 01.20.14 It's Tempting (Classic)
Posted by: theburningbushdevotional <theburningbushdevotional@...>
Visit the
Burning Bush websites:
The
Burning Bush websites have received visits from more than 170 countries. Celebrating
15 years online since January 31, 1998. Since June 8, 1998 the Burning Bush
Devotional has been spreading the truth of God's Word to more than 14,000
subscribers across the world.
You can
leave comments/feedback about the devotionals at http://www.theburningbush.net.
There is
a translation tool on theburningbush.net website in the top left hand corner of
all of the pages.
Prayer Warriors
Wanted! Please join the Burning Bush Prayer Group. The group began in 1998.
Send prayer requests and receive prayer requests. To join send an email to: bbpg-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
The Burning Bush Devotional
14,000 Subscribers
to the Email Devotional
Classic from 2005
01.20.14
It’s Tempting
So the LORD said to Cain, "Why are you angry? And why has your
countenance fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not
do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule
over it." - Genesis 4:6-7.
Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved,
he will receive the crown of life, which the Lord has promised to those who
love Him. Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am tempted by God";
for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. But each
one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when
desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown,
brings forth death. - James 1:12-15.
When I was growing up, I was warned on very cold days not
to stick my tongue to the water pump handle. Apparently, that was tried by some
and found to cause their tongue to be frozen to the handle. Their stories about
the ordeal were enough to convince me never to try it. Recently there has been
a story about a nine-year-old boy in Virginia who touched his tongue to a metal
pole while waiting for a school bus. His tongue froze to the pole. The police
were called, and the boy’s father obtained some warm water, which he poured on
his son’s tongue and the pole. The boy was freed - probably with a memory he
will never forget. When the boy was asked by the police officer (while his
tongue was still stuck) if he was going to do such a stupid thing again, he
said, “Uh-uh”.
When I asked Jeanie if she had ever done anything like
that, she said she had stuck her tongue to an ice tray. I’d never thought of
doing that either. One poll I saw about whether a person had given in to a
similar temptation reported that 25% had done so. Total participants in the
poll were over 20,000.
The painful truth of life is that we all face temptations
that are much more tempting and much more damaging than sticking our tongue to
a pole if we give in to them. God tells Cain, “…sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule
over it.” I believe God tells us the same thing.
Temptation, which leads to sin, is constantly at our door beckoning to us.
Giving in to those temptations will lead to painful consequences. We cannot say
we are without warning. James tells us, “But
each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then,
when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is
full-grown, brings forth death.” The result
of Cain’s failure to rule over sin was the murder of his brother and a
spiraling down of Cain’s life after that event. “For the wages of sin is death… (Romans 6:23a).”
Why should you not give into temptation?
Because it leads to sin which brings about death. Giving in to temptation
brings about death to God’s perfect will for your life. Giving in to temptation
at best delays God’s plan for your life and at worst prevents it from ever
being fulfilled. Giving in to temptation not only hurts you it also hurts your
family and your friends. Cain killed his brother (and all of the descendants of
Abel - Cain, by killing one person was a mass murderer killing generations of
people.), bringing heartache to his parents, ruining his own life, and it took
his own descendants down a difficult path. Your sin does not just affect you.
Your sin is not just about you.
“…sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule
over it.”
Copyright © 2005-2014. Ed Wrather.
The Burning Bush website has been online since January 31, 1998. On June 8,
1998 the email version of the Burning Bush Devotional was first sent. Ed
Wrather began writing devotionals in the early 1990s. The distribution of these
first devotionals was primarily through the Burning Bush Newsletter sent to
prison facilities throughout the United States and Canada.
Ed Wrather has retired from
pastoring full-time and has more time to pursue other ministry opportunities.
You can make contact at edwrather@yahoo.com or theburningbushdevotional@gmail.com View LinkedIn
profile with endorsements at http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=92988105
Prayer Requests: Many prayer
needs are posted at the Burning Bush website on the Prayer Request page. You
can also post your prayer requests there (Of course, I am always in need of
prayer - please pray for me.).
If you enjoy the devotional please recommend it to your friends.
They may subscribe by sending a blank email to burningbushdevo-join@welovegod.org
There is a complete devotional
archive at the old Burning Bush website. Here is the URL: http://www.theburningbush.org/33.html.
You can unsubscribe to the burningbushdevo
devotional group by sending a blank email to
burningbushdevo-leave@welovegod.org and then respond to the confirmation email.
You may
subscribe to the html text group (Because of time constraints the devotional is
only being sent now in html format) by sending a blank email to
burningbushhtml-join@welovegod.org and you may unsubscribe by sending a blank
email to burningbushhtml-leave@welovegod.org and then respond to the
confirmation email. If the link does not work, copy and paste the link.
--
To unsubscribe, send ANY message to: burningbushdevo-leave@welovegod.org