“We give no one any reason to discredit our ministry, but in every respect, we present ourselves as God's servants: with great patience, in tribulations, in needs, in distresses, in wounds, in imprisonments, in uprisings against us, in hard labor, in vigils, in fasts, with purity, with knowledge, with patience, with kindness, with the Holy Spirit, with sincere love, with the proclamation of truth, with the power of God, with the weapons of righteousness in the right and left hand, in honor and dishonor, in ill repute and good repute, we are regarded as deceivers, but we tell the truth.”
(Second Epistle to the Corinthians, chapter 6, verses 3-8*)
“And if you utter worthy and not worthless words, you shall act as my spokesman. Let them turn to you, but you must not turn to them. And I will make you as a fortified bronze wall to this people: they will fight against you but will not overcome you, for I am with you to save and deliver you,” declares the Lord.”
(Book of the Prophet Jeremiah, chapter 15, verses 19b-20*)
Have you ever been tempted to make a seemingly insignificant compromise? Just something small, to win in a game, to avoid trouble, to save yourself some stress and explanations, to save resources and effort? In the moment of temptation, two ideas battle in your mind:
"What's the big deal?"
The age-old lie that “everyone does it” always activates at the moment of temptation to sacrifice your principle or compromise your conscience and conviction. You might even enumerate reasons why you "deserve" to get what you want, even if it's at the cost of a principled compromise. This is how the first woman, Eve, was tempted by the serpent in Eden: "Then the serpent said to the woman, 'You will not surely die! No! God knows that when you eat of it, your eyes will be opened and you will be like gods, knowing good and evil.' And the woman saw that the tree was good for food and pleasant to the eyes, and also that it was a desirable tree, because it gives knowledge; she took some of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband, and he ate." (Genesis, chapter 3, verses 4-6*, the bold font is ours) The serpent convinces Eve that she actually deserves to try the tree, it's her due because the “cruel” God has allegedly withheld and hidden something good and valuable from people. Many of us still fall for the same trick - if we feel that our own moral principles might cause us some financial, social, emotional, or personal loss, we are inclined to find an excuse and violate them.
"It's not fair!"
In fact, when faced with temptation, we know what's the right thing to do and what's not. The temptation is in wanting or seeming more advantageous to choose the wrong. Regardless, we know the truth and can bravely declare to ourselves, and even in the face of temptation, that it would not be fair and right. It takes courage because initially, it seems we are the losers when we choose to stand firmly on the side of righteousness and the principles that God has set as just. We might even be afraid that we will suffer if we do not allow the "tiny" compromise required in the situation. We must remember something: in the game, we have a heavenly Referee who closely watches how everyone acts and plays. No one may see that you did the right thing, you may appear to be losing and foolish at the time, but remember, your heavenly Father sees you are obedient to His principles and will reward that in a much greater way compared to the momentary unfair victory you might take. Do not succumb to the temptation to be like others. Be like your Father!
“All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth for those who keep his covenant and his testimonies.” (Psalms, chapter 25, verse 10*)
Thought for the week: Be ready to uphold God's principles. Play by the rules. Expect a Heavenly reward.
*Bible quotations are according to the text of the Bible, New Translation from Original Languages © Bulgarian Bible Society 2013.
Photo: Riho Kroll/Unsplash.com