back to James

'Let no one say when he is tempted,

"I am being tempted by God," for God cannot be tempted with evil,

and He himself tempts no one. 

But each person is tempted with he is lured away and enticed by his own desire. Then desire, when it has conceived gives birth to sin,

and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.'

James 1:13-15

It has been an incredible walk through the book of James thus far and I am eager to finish well. 

In order to do that though I must walk through these verses...here it goes...

I am no theologian, but I must echo the words of King Solomon in Ecclesiastes, 'There is nothing new under the sun' when I read these verses. 

To me, these verses are shedding a spotlight on a sin that has been around since the dawn of mankind--blame. 

It is no different today than when James penned these words. Two married people 'fall in love' and call it destiny saying they 'can't help the way they feel' therefore it must be right. 

A radical Mormon believer kidnaps a young girl in broad daylight saying that 'God told him to do it...' 

Even so in our own lives through the 'little' sins to overspend, overindulge, overcompensate and fail to do what God has called us to do. We may not blame God directly, but we are directly sinning against God. 

God is completely holy and altogether good in everything He does. He does not tempt with evil simply because there is no evil in Him and He longs for His creation to walk in holiness just as He is holy. 

He does test though. 

We see this in the book of Job. 

'Behold, I go forward and He is not there,

and backward, but I do not find Him;

I look to the left and do not see Him at work;

He turns to the right but I catch to glimpse of Him.

But He knows the way I take;

and when He has tested me,

I shall come forth as gold.'

Job 23:8-10

Job references gold here and there are few pictures of the God that are more beautiful than that of a goldsmith. 

A goldsmith sees the potential beauty in a rough, blemished metal. 

A goldsmith works that metal, fires that metal, purifies that metal, 

until no spot or blemish remains. 

The more refined results in the more pure. 

The more pure is of more value. 

So it is with us. 

God will test us in order to refine us. 

He will test our motives so as to expose them for what they really are. 

He will test our love so as to cleanse it and make it more like His love. 

Testing is different than tempting in that tempting is an attempt to entice and destroy while testing is a holy effort of God's behalf to refine and make holy. 

Temptation is a result of our own sin birthed from unholy or unchecked desire. 

Temptation is often subtle and often takes the appearance as something good, something beneficial or something harmless. 

We have the desire to appear a certain way so we make others feel less so we can feel greater. 

We miss romance and pursuit, so we begin to flirt with the coworker giving a bit of extra attention disregarding the ring on our left hand and the person that put it there. 

We are sick of feeling like the poor person, the unstylish and the unaccepted, so we spend what we do not have in an attempt to a look a part that we are not.

Temptation that is common to the everyday man.

Temptation that has it's roots in sin and ultimately leads to death--

death of a marriage,

death of trust,

death of integrity,

death of a friendship.

When we are not walking intimately with God, we begin to let our guard down and our desires remain unchecked. Our feelings of inadequacy, entitlement, self pity, pride, rejection... will begin to take precedence over the Truth of God's Word, giving birth to sin, walking us down a slippery slope of temptation and destruction. 

When left to our devices, these things will lead to temptation, but when God takes these things, He will test them to show them for what they really are and will begin to refine us into a more holy and more pure follower of Him. 

One way leads to death, another leads to life. 

The choice is ours to make. 

Holy Refiner...

How I long for the Truth of your Word to penetrate deep into my soul. 

I long for Your Truth to test my perception and my acceptance of the world around me. 

Open my eyes that I may see the paths of destruction that I am walking and lead me down the path of righteousness that leads to life. 

Test me--test my motives, test my affections, test my friendships, test my love and commitment--that they may be purified and free of self and blemish. 

Thank you for not being a God of temptation, seeking to trick us and ultimately destroy us. 

Thank you for being a God that sees the beauty in spite of the blemish. Thank you for being a God that loves me the way I am but is refusing to leave me that way. 

Grant me grace that I may desire truth in the inner most recesses of my heart, soul and mind and that I may not only embrace it but long for your refinement in my life. 

I love you sweet Jesus...

<><tce