FAITH FRIDAY

Well, my daily devotional app did it again.  It posted something that really made me think.  Sometimes, it really hurts having your toes stepped on.  Ha!  One day, I may just print all of these little tidbits into a book to remind me of these special messages at special times. 

Today’s verse: 

 “The arrogance of man will be brought low and human pride humbled; the Lord alone will be exalted in that day, and the idols will totally disappear.  People will flee to caves in the rocks and to holes in the ground from the fearful presence of the Lord and the splendor of his majesty, when he rises to shake the earth.”
Isaiah 2:17-19

 Ouch!  Arrogance, pride, and idols?  I don’t know about you, but I have seen an abundance of those three lately in our society!  Aren’t we all tempted daily with our own “idols?”  How can we resist these temptations if we are so inherently evil, arrogant, and full of our own pride?  The answer…we can’t!  We can’t do it alone.  That’s why the Lord wants us to seek his help and guidance in our daily lives.  I know I am guilty of not seeking God’s help enough and just trying to handle it all on my own.  I imagine that is just another example of my own prideful arrogance. 

The devotional words following this verse really spoke to my heart:

James 1:13-14, “When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.”  For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed.”  I’ve had quite enough of temptation rising up and shouting, “Hey, look at that” or “Why don’t you consider serving these other gods?”  That’s part of the deal though; turning away from temptation and resting in the sufficiency of God’s grace and forgiveness in Christ Jesus.  I’m looking forward to the day when “idols completely disappear.”  The day is coming when the Lord alone will be exalted.  Unfortunately, not everyone is looking forward to that day, and there’s going to be lots of scrambling going on.  Idols are crushed in the “terror of the Lord and the glory of his majesty.”  Worship the Lord God alone. 

Well, there you have it.  The answer.  God just laid it all out there for us to find in his Word, didn’t he?  The answer to dealing with the evil of temptation is to “rest in the sufficiency of God’s grace and forgiveness.”  Isn’t dealing with the constant bombardment of daily temptations exhausting?  Doesn’t that “rest” sound inviting?  Like a nice long Sunday afternoon nap after a very exhausting week dealing with work, family, and problems?  It is just comforting to know that if we just turn away from temptation and accept God’s loving help, he will give us that rest we all need.  Of course, the turning away part that we have to decide to do isn’t always easy, and we will likely all fail more often than we succeed, but isn’t it great that God’s grace and forgiveness is always there waiting for us?  That reminds me of our current sermon series on “Courage.”  We are taking a look at some of those strange Old Testament characters who often exhibited superhero like courage in the face of unimaginable adversity.  It takes courage to face the temptations of the world and to choose to turn away from them.  That courage comes from God and is available to all of us. 

I will leave with these words from one of my new favorite songs that seems like a good prayer for God to help us to find this courage: 

“Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders

Let me walk upon the waters

Wherever You would call me

Take me deeper than my feet could ever wander

And my faith will be made stronger

In the presence of my Savior.” 

Happy Friday, ya’ll!