“we are tempted when we are dragged away by our own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is brought to completion, it brings forth death.” — James 1:14-15
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it to the full.” — John 10:10
“…choose life…by loving the Lord your God, by obeying His voice, and by holding fast to Him…” — Deuteronomy 30:19b-20a
In Southern Mexico lies the Cueva de Villa Luz, or Cave of the Lighted House. I’ve read that as you make your way to the cave you walk through a veritable paradise of tropical birds and lush rain forest. Underwater the cave is fed by 20 underground springs, beautiful watercourses which teem with tiny fish. The cave itself is home to spectacular rock formations and beautiful ponds. The environment is inviting. Yet accept the invitation and you’ll soon be dead. You see, the Cueva de Villa Luz is filled with poisonous gases.
Temptation is just like this. It presents itself to us as something inviting, attractive, lifegiving. Yet in reality it’s poisonous and toxic.
Now squarely in mid-life, I, like many others before me, am examining my life — in particular, what have I done, if anything, of lasting meaning — and what, if anything, can I do with the time remaining to me that will be of lasting meaning. In this lengthy (and still in-progress) exercise, I’ve had to admit the painful truth that, as Paul puts it in Ephesians 4, I’ve often given the devil a foothold, following the path that James outlines in his first chapter (and quoted above).
The result has been, indeed, death. Death of dreams, death of opportunities, death of fulfilling my role fully as husband, father, and friend. I reflect on moments in which my words and actions can only have negative impact they are modeled by others such as my children. In the opportunities and ministries God has provided, I see responsibilities only partially fulfilled and effectiveness compromised.
All too often, I’m like the monkeys that are caught using candy or other sweets and a bottle. You see, old milk bottles are tied to the ground, and then something sweet is placed inside the bottle. When a monkey comes along and sees the sweet he places his hand inside the bottle, but with the sweet enclosed in his palm his fist is too big to get back out the bottle. The monkey will pull and push in an effort to get that sweet out, but he will not let it go, not even as his captors approach. And so the monkey is caught, literally with “his hand in the cookie jar”!
This represents perfectly the contradiction of temptation and integrity. As Dr. Jim Denison notes, “temptation seems to benefit more than it costs at first, but its disastrous consequences always outweigh the reward. Integrity usually costs more than it benefits at first, but its positive consequences always outweigh the cost.”
Our enemy is always a “roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8). He wants, as Jesus told us (also quoted above), only to steal from us, to destroy us. Thus, we can know that any offer of good from our desires which contradict God’s word to and design for us must lead to a greater harm.
Theologian Lyman Abbott noted that “every life is a march from innocence, through temptation, to virtue or vice.” In my self-examination, I’m looking at where my march is headed. It’s a question I urge you to consider as well.
Ants in the Pants of Faith 