#DailyDevotion Who And What Do You Turn To For Every Good?
1Co 10:7-13 Do not be idolaters as some of them were; as it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play.” (8) We must not indulge in sexual immorality as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in a single day. (9) We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did and were destroyed by serpents, (10) nor grumble, as some of them did and were destroyed by the Destroyer. (11) Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come. (12) Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall. (13) No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.
You may think you are not an idolater because you don’t say a prayer to another god or bow down before some image of some other god, but you would probably be wrong. For what is a god and what does it mean to worship it? A god is what or who we turn to for every good. We turn to it for comfort strength and hope. We worship it by making sacrifices of time, money and occasionally family, friends and perhaps our own well being. When you are distressed what do you turn to for comfort, strength and hope? Instead of bring your distress to your Father in heaven in prayer and faith do you go on a shopping spree? Do you drink alcohol, have sex, or do drugs? Do you binge out on food? Some people turn their church, pastor, spouse, parent or children into god, for if they lost those things or something bad happened therein they would hate the true God. If you lost everything and did not have joy still, what did you replace with God? The Israelites turned to other gods in their distress.
The Israelites preferred sexual immorality, i.e. sexual intercourse outside the bounds of marriage while in the wilderness. So offended the Lord was he put to death twenty-three thousand people in a single day. When we sin sexually we sin against our own bodies. We defile the temple of God. Yet people today have sex outside of marriage and live together (making it easier to have sex together and not be married). Pornography sites are the most visited sites on the internet. Homosexuality is considered normal today by many. We as children of God should not join the world in such things.
Do we test God i.e. make demands of him, which is not the same thing as prayer. Do we tell God we will only follow him if he does x, y or z? Do we grumble against the Lord when life isn’t going the way we would want it to go? The Lord made short work of the Israelites who acted that way in the wilderness.
Watch yourselves! Paul tells we will experience no temptation that isn’t common to all humanity. He promises the Lord will provide a way out of the temptation when it comes so we will endure the temptation. The Lord Jesus himself was tempted as we are and was victorious over sin for us. Call upon his name. Do the good you should do instead. Humbly come before the Lord and ask to receive what you desire in a good and pleasing way to the Lord. He will give you the desire of your heart.
Heavenly Father grant us such faith in your Son Jesus Christ, that your love shown us in Christ will be of greater value than anything or anyone else in all creation so we may not fall into idolatry and other great shame and vice. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.