Recently, I have become
familiar with two men who have done serious harm to both their reputations and
to the cause of Christ. Both are
extremely wealthy from their jobs and had leadership positions in the Christian
community that influenced hundreds if not thousands. One I know personally and
the other by one degree of separation.
As I hear what happened to them, it serves as a very cautionary tale for
each of us because we all are weak in our own strength and subject to the same
temptations. In both cases, they were lured in by offers to
have something that they had no right to – in one case a woman and in the other
ill-gotten gain. My inclination is to
pray for them and not judge them because I know I am but one bad decision from
sharing their pain.
Proverbs 1: 10 - My son, if sinful men entice you,
do not give in to them.
do not give in to them.
Things to think about:
· Whether it’s
wealth, power, prestige, sex, or something else, we are all susceptible to the
lure of a hollow promise that brings with it a bitter ending.
o
Have you been on the receiving end of an invitation to do
something wrong?
§ Was it
clothed in compromises that explained away why it wasn’t a big deal after all?
· Our natural
man, encouraged by the world around us, and assaulted by an enemy who seeks to
destroy us, is hopelessly lost without:
o
A knowledge of right and wrong
o
A daily commitment to obey God’s statutes
o
A community to support us
o
The Holy Spirit to empower
us
Knowledge of
right and wrong
· Psalm 119:2 –
I have hidden Your word in my heart that I might not sin against You
o
Sometimes I hear people say, “Well I don’t know the Bible like so
and so does.”
o
Why is that such a dangerous thing to accept for oneself?
o
Do you have a “go-to” Bible passage for times of temptation?
Daily
Commitment
·
Psalm 1:2-3 - … (the man) whose delight is
in the law of the Lord, and
who meditates on His law day and night. That person is like a
tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in
season and whose leaf does not wither— whatever they do prospers.
o
the psalmist says he meditates on God’s law
daily
o
What encouragement do you draw from the word
picture the psalmist uses to describe the benefits of this close walk with God?
A Community
· Proverbs
17:17 – A friend loves at all times, a brother is born for adversity
· Proverbs
27:17 – As iron sharpens iron, so one man another
· How does
being in community with other men who face similar struggles keep you on the
right path?
o
Can you recount a time when a friend really
stepped up at the right time to meet you where you were?
The Holy
Spirit
· Romans
8:26-27 - In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our
weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit Himself
intercedes for us through wordless groans. And He who searches our
hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit
intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.
· I love
Scriptures that tell us it’s OK to not have it all worked out, that we’re not
called to be supermen!
o
Moreover, I really love it that God says, “Don’t worry, I’ve got
you covered.”
· That battle
is being fought (and won!) in a realm we don’t understand, with words we don’t
understand.
Let us be wise as serpents in knowing there is a
real war being waged but innocent as doves with our decisions and actions. Know
His word, do His word, help and be helped by your brothers, and rest in the
knowledge that the battle is the Lord’s.