I was sorting through my car boot the other day and I came across a penknife that I’d clean forgot about. Now with all the discussion about knives it set me thinking about the uses of my penknife. There are some helpful things we can do with this knife? (“Carve a piece of wood,” “Peel a potato.” “Get a splinter out of your hand.”) Yes, these are all good ways to use a knife. What are some bad things we could do with this knife? (“Hurt someone.” “Scare people with it.” “Cut ourselves.”) Yes, these are things we shouldn’t do with a knife. So, there are good and bad things we can do with knives.
People are a little like knives; they can do both good and bad things. Some of the good things people can do? (“Hug someone.” “Help someone who is in trouble.” “Make people smile.”) Yes, these are all good things people can do for one another but there are also some bad things people can do? (“Hurt / stab someone.” “Yell at each other.” “Steal.”). Yes, these are all bad things people can do. As I said before, people are like knives; they can do good things and they can do bad things.
There is, however, one big difference between people and knives: People can choose whether or not to do good or bad things, knives cannot. We are tempted to do the wrong things because God gives us the freedom to choose our actions. When we choose to do good things, we choose to follow what God wants for us. When we choose to do bad things, we choose to go against what God wants for us.
So we’re faced with the continuing battle against temptation in our lives. That battle we humans face against doing the wrong things, the things God wouldn’t really want us to do in our lives.
And to help us we have the example set by our Lord Jesus Christ who also faced temptation as we read Matthew Chapter 4 verses 1 to 11 where we read of how Jesus is tempted three times. His temptations take the form of how Jesus will use the powers given to him in the desert for the wrong purpose, for his own glory. Turning the stones into bread, throwing himself from the pinnacle of the temple or possessing all the wealth of the kingdoms of the world were what the devil tried to persuade our Lord with but Jesus replied ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve only him.’
What better way is there of overcoming temptation than to follow our Lord Jesus and serving God?
God bless you all as you seek to serve God. Amen.