BBD 07.31.03 Did The Devil Do It?
Posted by: wrather <wrather@...>
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The Burning Bush Devotional
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07.31.03
Did The Devil Do It?
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 1:13-15.
Route 666 in New Mexico also know by local residents as the "Highway to
Hell" or "Satan's Highway" has been renamed Route 491. The highway has had
a very high rate of fatalities in comparison to other highways in New
Mexico. Governor Bill Richardson said at the dedication, "After 77 years of
concern and discontent we have finally removed any reference to the devil
from this highway." After news of the renaming was released, most of the
Highway 666 signs were stolen. Even though it was the Devil's highway
authorities are not blaming the devil but are looking for thieves who wanted
souvenirs.
We do have a tendency to blame others for our sin. Some even blame God.
James makes it clear that God does not ever tempt anyone to do evil. God
will try us but He does not tempt us to do evil. Of course, many blame the
devil. Flip Wilson made the statement "the devil made me do it" famous. But
it had been in use for hundreds of years. We always want to blame someone or
something besides ourselves for our sin.
What is it that causes us to sin? It is something in us, our own desires,
lusts that bring about our sin. I John 2:16 further define those desires,
"For all that is in the world--the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes,
and the pride of life--is not of the Father but is of the world." It is our
own lust, which draws us into sin. It is what feels, looks and sounds good -
the lust of the flesh. It is the wanting of material things - the lust of
the eyes. It is the pride of life, which so easily leads to being easily
offended and rebellion.
Lust brings about the opposite of life it brings about death. It usually
does not happen quickly but death does come. "When desire has conceived, it
gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death."
It is helpful when fighting temptation to recognize that our own desires
must be changed. As we grow closer to our Lord, we will have more and more
of a desire for what will bring life instead of death. The more that we
resist the lust of the flesh, the eyes and the pride of life the more life
we will have. The closer we become to our Lord the more we will be able to
resist those evil desires.
Make it a goal of every day to grow a little closer to the Lord than you
were the day before.
Copyright © 2003. Ed Wrather. Permission is given for use of the devotionals
on a non-profit basis with source credited.
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