James 1:13-15
“When tempted, no one should say, ‘God is tempting me.’ For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He tempt anyone; but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.”
Those of us who have a background in law enforcement have seen the tragic effect that alcohol and/or drugs have on an individual. Within a few short years a person seems to age twenty or thirty years and often their downward spiral leads to death.
Today’s Scripture paints this sad and downward progression. It starts with temptation. Temptation is our desire to have or do something that we know to be wrong. James goes further and describes how our evil desire drags us away by way of enticement.
I once heard a counselor speak about his experience in working with men who had been unfaithful. When he asked them to describe in one word what they now felt, almost the always the answer was; “hell.” Temptation-desire-enticement, the next step is sin and when it is full-grown it leads to death.
But there is another type of desire. In Psalm 103 the Psalmist tells us that we are to praise the Lord from the very core of our being. In verse 5 we read these words: “who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.”
That tells us that there are godly desires that are directed toward the Lord. The first four verses of Psalm 103, remind us of the things we are to praise God for. The result is that we can soar like the eagles. So we have two choices. Either the evil desires that lead to death or the godly desires that renew our youth and help us soar like the eagles. I choose the godly desires for my life. Please come and soar with me!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil (360) 570-0074
P.S. – You can find previous E-Votionals covering a variety of Scriptures and topics to help you in your walk with the Lord at www.Daily-E-Votional.com Please feel free to forward this E-Votional on to your family and friends.