Escape

Contentment. Where does it come from? There is no one better to ask than the apostle Paul. He was familiar with life’s extremes with challenging circumstances.

Where does temptation come from? The world? The flesh? The devil? Well, one thing we know for sure is that it doesn’t come from God.

Have you ever been tempted? Struggling with temptation? In our passage today, Paul gives us important instructions in this area.

Sometimes we remain still, trying to hide from God. Sometimes we are in a full-out sprint, trying to run from God. But regardless of how fast and far we run, we are still right there in his presence!

Temptation is real, persuasive, and alluring; otherwise, it wouldn’t be called temptation. But you do not have to cross the line. If you choose to take that step, you do so because you want to, not because you have to.

Pleasure is a good thing, a great thing. God wired us to enjoy relationships, laugh, and experience life to the fullest. All things are beautiful when experienced the way God intended. But in this fallen world, in this “life under the sun,” we can pervert pleasure into a god, using money, possessions, and experiences to fill our hearts.

Through Jesus, we have the promise that death has no power over us. We simply pass from life, as we know it, to eternal life with the Lord.

He is everywhere at the same time in his whole being. We cannot escape his power, presence, or protection.

Whether the source is the world, the flesh, or the devil, at the end of the day we own our disobedience.