In His Word
How does one know if they are right with the Lord? Peace.
It doesn’t mean we are perfect, it means we are in the right spot that He wants
us to be, for now.
As a child I would know if I were going to be in
trouble because my gut feelings would get to me. Some people say their hair on
the back of their neck would stand up. Or they would start to sweat if they
knew they had done something wrong, for me it was a churning in my stomach. Now
for some of us this is normal others it would be no big deal, but at one time
in my life I thought I was so ‘good’ that I would never lie, and I would always
tell the truth even if I had to suffer a punishment because I could not lie or
I would feel sick.
But temptation grabs even the most prideful of us!
Even those of us who think we have a good head on our shoulders and make the
right choices. Pride comes before the fall right?
I was working at a fast food chain and was supposed to
get a raise. I did not get it and others did. I knew I was working hard and
deserved it. I worked 12-hour shifts during holidays and when others would call
in I kept working for them. I was so sure I was worth the raise. I had seen so
many who had gotten the raises give away free sodas and such to their friends, but
I was never going to do that; it was against the law, right?
I was so upset that I gave a friend of the family a
free upgrade on their drink. Like I said some would think that was nothing but
me, I did it with such a bad heart! I was mad and vindictive when I did that!
After I handed back the customers change, practically all his money, I turned
and saw my boss standing right next to me.
If you think you are standing strong, be careful not
to fall. The temptations in your life
are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not
allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he
will show you a way out so that you can endure. So, my
dear friends, flee from the worship of idols. 1 Corinthians 10:12-14
Pride was my idol. I was too
proud to talk to my boss I was just mad. So I gave that drink away and turning
to see my boss I nearly fainted! My boss noticed my suddenly flush face and
weakness and how I was ready to fall literally, and they took me to the back
room to sit down, then brought me ice water to sit and sip until I felt better.
This of course only added to my guilt! I sat there trying to breath and she
pampered me! Then she mentioned on top of that they had messed up my check and
I had a ten-cent raise coming with back pay account on my next check!
I thought I was going to die!
But I did not. I went back to work and continued to carry that guilt. Until I
gave it to Jesus. It was so overwhelming that I remember it clearly today as an
example of how anyone can fall to temptation. Even if the temptation seems
small, it can lead to something bigger.
Dear brothers and sisters, if another believer
is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and
humbly help that person back onto the right path. And be careful not to fall
into the same temptation yourself. Share each other’s burdens, and in this way
obey the law of Christ. If you think you are too important to help someone, you
are only fooling yourself. You are not that important. Galatians 6:1-3
In retrospect
I think my boss knew what happened and saw how I reacted to it even before I
had turned to face her, I was shaking. She had to have known, and yet she took
care of me kindly. That is a great
example of how to treat someone when they are over come by sin. We should
gently, kindly help them get up and walk the right path again. Not one of us is
beyond sinning, we are all weak humans; it would be easy to fall into the same
temptation as them if we let our guard down. Be careful while pointing them in
the right direction. Don’t think to yourself that you will not ever do that
because once we judge someone, we have set ourselves up to be judged in the
same ruthless way.
“Do
not judge others, and you will not be judged. For you will be treated as you
treat others. The standard you use in
judging is the standard by which you will be judged. “And
why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in
your own? Matthew 7:1-3
Today let’s think about how to live a life that is kind,
helpful and kind, and remember that we are not perfect only God is. For there
is none good no not one, save Jesus!
Today, let’s try to live right before God, not just
worry about how anyone else is living, just between you and God. Me and God.
That is all that matters.