A chinese philosopher once said, "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." I think temptation works the exact same way. As Jon Acuff put it, "sin is fun". Fun. Yep. You heard me. Now read along.
It is fun at first. Would you actually try it, spend loads of money on it and lie to your family and friends about it if it didn't excite and thrill us? If we knew that lying would make our lips explode with a loud "Kaboom!" sound everytime we mouth a fib, would we keep doing it? If drugs tasted like stale bread and rotten meat, would we get addicted to it? Did the married man wake up one morning and say, "I am going to have an affair today. I will lie to my wife, hurt my kids and lose my job because of it". The politician didn't come to the office with a million dollars falling magically on his lap. The actress didn't just find ten empty glasses of vodka on her table at the club, nor did the foreigner just blink to see smuggled knockoffs in his basement.
Maybe I'm the only one who feels this way. Maybe you've been able to steer clear of temptation and sin by completely avoiding all steps, ways and means to get the enemy out of sight. Or maybe, you too, are like me --- acknowledging that although some of these things can be fun, it will eventually get us nowhere. "There's always that moment where you can say no." God gives you a moment to choose. To choose to take that first step or walk away. While it would be great to not like temptation, it would also be realistic to make a conscious effort to know where it can lead us. In that way, we don't try to justify it by saying "I couldn't help it" or "I just fell into it". The seemingly innocent deed can turn into the gravest sin if we are not careful.
Before Jesus' death, he said this to his disciples in Matthew 16: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it." Sacrifice is not easy, but we can expose ourselves less to risks if we become cognizant of it. That second glance, that "just this once", that small white lie can slowly transform into a web of brokenness if we continue to keep it in our back pocket.
Don't wait for any kaboom sounds. Yes, sin can be fun. The devil is smart that way. But anyone who's willing to take up the cross will always outsmart him.
