Distraction - Day 229 Month 8-16 Week 33-5
Today's Reading (Bible in 1 year)
1 Kings 2:28-3:15, Proverbs 20:11-20, Ezekiel 27:26-28:10, 1 Corinthians 10
Distraction
“No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it” (1 Corinthians 10:13).
We all face temptation. I face temptation all the time. In the specific circumstance above, Paul is talking to the Corinthians about moral and idol temptation but I believe we can take it beyond those to other types of temptations as well.
The enemy’s goal is for all Jesus followers to turn away from God and what better way is there than putting a temptation in your path to distract you. Many leaders in the Christian church have fallen because they have given in to sexual temptation. Temptations are something we face and if we learn to endure those temptations, we become stronger.
As I have mentioned often, we are renovating our house. We had hoped to be finished long ago but it is dragging on. In spring 2025, we had a distraction. The distraction had to do with our barn. I was using the closest area to the door as a workshop. Sylvia was getting frustrated because she could not access the inner room because of the stuff that was constantly in my workshop. The solution seemed simple. Why don’t I put a door on the other space, use that for my workshop because it’s a little larger and then Sylvia can use the other side and loft for her use. Well we can’t go halfway so now the workshop is wonderful, and Sylvia has a gorgeous she shed and the barn’s been transformed. Unfortunately, what we thought would take a month took a year and a half and the house renovation was delayed.
Our priority was to get the house done. Temptation can work in a similar way. Something can capture our attention and draw us away from what should be our priority. In our case, the barn ended up being a positive thing and it adds value to our property. In the case of spiritual temptation we are drawn away from the priority of love God and loving others.
We could have accomplished the final house renovation if I had just put a door on the other side of the barn and did a full stop, then returning to the house. That is the way of escape. In the case of spiritual temptation, we are given what we need to endure the temptation. Paul does not say we have a way of escape to avoid the temptation, he’s saying God “will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it”. This is not a “get out of temptation free card,” this is a way to endure the temptation.
Think about it, the more we are able to endure a temptation the stronger our faith can potentially become. Temptation in time becomes easier to endure. Just a word of caution, the enemy is always looking for ways to tempt you so you may endure a temptation but maybe there will be another unexpected temptation to work through.
It comes down to our common theme. If we are called to love God, anything that distracts us from our God given mission risks taking us away from what God has called us to do. In that way, even our barn, though it was good, became a distraction because it prevented us from completing what mattered more.
Have a great day!
Steve
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