Choose What Kind of Person You Want to Be

James knows that the greatest temptations we face are often not those trials on the outside; they are actually the inward enticement we feel to do wrong. If we are not wise, outer trials quickly lead to temptations on the inside. We entertain the possibility of satisfying a good thing in a bad way. For example, it is right and good for a student to want to excel on an examination, but it is wrong to do so by cheating. The desire for a good grade is ruined by the method chosen to achieve it.

We tend to think of sin as a single act. God sees sin as a process. It begins with an ungodly desire (emotions). In our quest to satisfy that desire, we are “drawn away” (intellect). The imagery is of a hunter baiting a trap or a fisher baiting a hook. The lure of the bait masks the peril of the desire. The bait keeps us from seeing the consequences of our sins. Drawn to the lure, we plan a method for taking the bait (will). We choose to act. A distinguishing mark of a mature Christian is that we choose not to take the bait of sin. If ever we are hooked by sin, the end result is death.

Obedience to God is our choice about the kind of people we want to be. Every one of us is involved in a sequence of choices. Each choice shapes our character and makes it easier to follow Christ or do things our way. With each act of obedience to God, we receive the promise to be crowned with the confidence of His approval. Make obedience your habit.

Respond in Prayer

Father God, You are honest about the destructive process of sin. No bait, however alluring, compares with the fulfillment you promise is ours in Jesus. Through obedience to you, we worship you and confess to you the kind of people we want to be. Through Jesus, Amen.

Rob Blackaby