Nov 13 - James 1:13

Jesus said,

And lead us not into temptation

King James Version

Matthew 6:13a

Let no one say when he is tempted,

"I am being tempted by God,"

for God cannot be tempted with evil,

and he himself tempts no one”

James 1:13

Two contradictory verses?!

How about a third: 

“Jesus was led up by the Spirit

into the wilderness to be

tempted by the devil”

Matthew 4:1

So ... what conclusions are you drawing?

1.      God does not tempt us. 

2.      But God does leads us. 

3.      And sometimes he leads us to places in which we are vulnerable. 

Hmm. Really?!! Why? 

Well, let's look at this step-by-step. 

1.      God does not tempt us. He hates sin. Indeed, the Son despises it so much that he shed his own blood to conquer our violations. Therefore, the God who does not like sin does not tempt us. Rather, we tempt ourselves. It's our heart and our actions that make us vulnerable. It's our heart and our actions that choose rebellion. (More on this in a minute.)

2.      But God does lead us. In a practical, every day way, God is at every intersection, saying, "Go right. Go right." And when we inevitably go left, God in his grace rushes to the next intersection to bandage the inevitable wounds.

3.      Yet … let me now contradict myself: God, nevertheless (and also), leads into situations in which we might be vulnerable. Why?

·       To stretch us and help us grow. That's one reason.

·       But even more so, he intentionally puts us in situations where we have to choose. Will we choose right or wrong? Light or darkness? Truth or half-truths? Integrity or compromise? Will we choose, indeed, God … or ourselves? Will we choose God or the world?

God's purpose isn't to squash us or judge us. His intent (sometimes) is to create a disequilibrium within us. And between our scrapes and scars make us yearn for light, truth, joy, and integrity. That grows us -- as individuals ... and in him. 

The Apostles describe it like this: "The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience.and 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 you can endure" -- 1 Corinthians 10:13. (He will show you a way out … if you look … if you ask … if you trust!)

Life is a battle. We must choose constantly between right and wrong. Between God and not God. It is a battle. Daily. But when we pray, “lead us not into temptation,” we are battling proactively, on the front-end. We are saying, "God, so that I don't have to make a stressful choice between you and some delicious (but destructive) temptations, I choose You right now! I come to you. I pray to you. I put my life in your hands. Guide my steps -- not into temptation … but "along right pathways for his name's sake" (Psalm 23:3). 

Indeed as we quote, "The Lord is my Shepherd," that's really what this petition is all about. It's about trusting God to lead us where we need to go. And when we go with him – joyfully and purposefully, anyway – he doesn't need to lead us down any challenging, tempting pathways. He can simply maketh us to lie down in green pastures and leadeth us beside the still waters."

Today, submit your heart to be lead in advance of the temptations. 

In Christ's Love,

a sheep who wants to be led

(into green pastures and

not into temptation)