9 May 2021 – Temptation. Satan tried to tempt Jesus three times while he was in the wilderness, Matthew 4:1-11. Jesus refused each temptation using God’s word. Of course, Jesus was the only perfect human – he was God. Humans have a much harder time saying no to temptation. We are tempted daily in all aspects of our life. Though we can easily say no to most temptations, we are easily broken by many. How many times have I turned away from others’ sins because it is easier? How often do we gloss over our own sins because we think they are minimal compared to the sins of others. God gives us specific rules, the ten commandments in Exodus 20:1-17 which we are all familiar with, and the greatest commandment in Matthew 22:37-39.

These are the rules by which we should live and which we should use to avoid temptation. Many of us live our lives as if some sin is worse than other, and each of us have our own opinions of what sin looks like, including me. I look at it this way, Jesus made it clear that he came not to abolish the law of Moses and Abraham but to accomplish their purpose. Jesus came to cleanse us of our sins so that we can have eternal life all we have to do is believe in him. Does this mean we can just sin and not think about the consequences? No. However, it does mean that we need to focus more on being Christlike and less on just following the law. I focus my life on loving the Lord with all I have by loving others as much as possible. I feel that if I live life being loving like Christ and doing no harm, I am living my best life. All that being said, I experience temptation in life every day. Most of these temptations aren’t usually a big thing, but sometimes they are.

A friend told me to listen to a new song from Gary Allen called Temptation. These lyrics really spoke to me and something I have going on in my life. The lyrics say:

We don't talk, we don't touch
I ain't yours, you ain't my crutch
I don't get drunk and just drop by
But I almost do, almost every night
.
.
.
Even if I never cross that line
You'll always be my temptation
My temptation

I think many of us can identify with those lyrics. How many times are you tempted and how many things are a temptation for you? The world is full of temptations, some worse than others. Many times we don’t even realize we are being tempted until we have already given in to it. These are the temptations that most of us worry about and these are the ones we are on the lookout for each day. However, there are other types of temptation. For me a temptation is not necessarily about doing something bad or even something that may not be good for me. Instead, it’s about doing something that may lead to disappointment or may be unfulfilling.

My biggest regrets in life are not the things I have done but the things I have been too scared to do. There are so many times in life that I should have given in to temptation. These are the things that are put in our lives by God as a gift but we are afraid to embrace. Why is it so easy to give into evil temptations and so hard to take on the good ones. Why am I always so scared to try new things and meet new people? Why am I afraid to love? Sure it may hurt and disappoint, but if I believe God put something in my life I need to grasp it. I need to make the most of it. Because of this, I am constantly tempted to say everything I feel because life is short. I am ready to feel all of the emotions and hold onto the wonderful things God is putting into my life.

The key is figuring out what is a temptation and what is a gift. Embrace the gifts and use God’s gifts to avoid temptation. I plan to every day. Love is worth the chance of heartbreak, hurt and disappointment.