Sins Of The Flesh - The Tempted

1 John 2 :15-16 Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world—the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does—comes not from the Father but from the world.

There are many bright, and many dark, spots in Cabo San Lucas. I do not single out Cabo for criticism, because the scene I will describe occurs everywhere on the face of the earth.  I recently vacationed in Cabo San Lucas with family and friends. The drama we witnessed played out at a popular eatery in Cabo. Several older North American men were seated at a table with several much younger Latin ladies. It was readily apparent that there was no family connection between the men and the women. And the whole scene was being supervised by a well dressed local gentlemen. There was much laughter after an awkward initial silence between the couples. The free flowing Coronas and tequila helped everyone loosen up. The dancing and table conversations became more intimate. A trio of wandering local musicians provided entertainment for the revelers. Midway through the evening two of the gentlemen had to step outside to take calls on their cell phones. Their conversations appeared to be with someone they were close to based on the mannerism displayed during the calls. It was a sad and depressing scene. It is also a sight played out too often when people give into temptation. The 1 John Chapter 2 passage above gives us a subtle reminder, and a not so subtle warning.  For everything in the world—the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does—comes not from the Father but from the world. We humans are frail, and easily tempted by sin. It is prudent for us to remember this human condition to help guard against the temptations of the flesh that are around us. Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. When we go running after the trappings & temptations of the world we are not one with the Father. We are making a choice to deliberately step away. And with each step, we risk falling into the other trap of sin. The trap of despair that we have sinned too much to be forgiven. Be careful to not fall into either trap. Satan has been catching people over time in these two finely crafted snares. We do not sin more so that grace may increase, and neither should we jump head first into temptation.

PRAYER: Almighty and loving God, we poor sinners all too often are tempted into sin. Help us to resist when tempted. And Father, help us to remember Your love and grace when we have sinned. Help us to remember to ask for that forgiveness You give. It is in Jesus' name we pray, Amen.

The Sea Turtles Eggs

Matthew 24:14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. 

I had one of those once in a life time experiences while on vacation. I am an early riser, and like to walk the beach in the mornings when I vacation by the sea. As I was walking by one of the resorts, I came upon the sea turtle patrol worker. He was looking at a set of sea turtle tracks to determine if there was a nest buried in the sand by a turtle the previous night. I was given the chance to help dig the eggs out of the nest  for depositing in a more secure and controlled nesting area. It was a blessing to help save the eggs from predation by local scavengers and to give the little hatchlings a better chance at survival when they emerge from the sand nest in 90 days. 

When we consider the Gospel, and how it has been nurtured by previous generations, we are given the same opportunities as the turtle patrol to care for the future of believers. There are predators out in the world who seek to change, distort, or even extinguish the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This is not something new to our world. This effort has been going on since the day after Christ was crucified. We are the guardians of the Gospel for future generations. We need to study the Gospel, share the Gospel, and nurture the growth of the body of believers. We are the Gospel patrol so-to-speak. It is up to all of us to continue the work of Christ and His disciples. It is up to all of us to do our part to ensure "this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come."

PRAYER: Father, we ask for the strength to make a strong defense of the Gospel. We ask for Your words when we share that Gospel with others. We ask for Your wisdom in all that we do in this defense. And we ask for the faith to continue to defend the Gospel when faced with adversity. This we ask in the strong name of Your Son Jesus Christ, Amen. 

Faith of a Seashore Crab

John 6: 47-51 “I tell you the truth, he who believes has everlasting life. I am the bread of life. Your forefathers ate the manna in the desert, yet they died. But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which a man may eat and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.” 

I had the opportunity recently to walk the beach one morning with Pam, my wife. And as we were walking we came upon a couple of crabs looking for food at the water’s edge. The little crabs would scurry down to the shore after the water had receded from a wave and search for bits of food. If there were any scraps to be found in the foam left on the shore, they would grab it and begin their short feast. It was short because the next wave  would hit about 7 seconds later. And when frightened, the little crabs darted into their nearby hideout hole burrowed in the sand. This struggle for existence played out many times in the course of our relatively short viewing time.

This drama in miniature brought to mind how often we, or people we know, act like the little crabs. Darting in and out of a spiritually nourishing life in Christ to feed and then withdraw. Too scared to be drawn into a chair of the banquet offered in a rich faith-life at the Lord's Table. Running away and not staying for fear of losing ourselves. Content to dip our beaks into the fountain of living waters. How foolish are we? And how shortsighted are those who chose that kind of life? Jesus Christ is the bread of life. When the choice is made to not sit and feast on this bread, the everlasting life that is given in Him is missed. My friends let us stop scurrying to and fro, and pull up a chair. Let us stay at the table set by our Lord. The Risen Savior has invited us. Far be it from us to decline His invitation.

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, You are the living waters, and the bread of life. We know this, and yet we often chose to feast on something less spiritually nourishing. We put You aside, to go chasing after something else with our lives. Help us when we are tempted to remain sitting with You at Your banquet table. Guide us with Your love and wisdom to make better choices in our lives. We ask this in Your precious and Holy name, Amen.