Monday, March 10, 2008

1 Cor 10:12-13

I Cor 10:12-13 “So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall!  No temptation has seized you except what is common to man.  And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear.  But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.”

We are most likely to fall when we are most confident of our own strength.  Distrust of ourself, puts our vigilence and dependence on God which is the best security against sin.  We live in a tempting world, where we are compassed about with snares.  Every place, condition, relation, employment, abounds with them; yet what comfort may we get from this passage.  For “No temptation has seized you except what is common to man.  And God is faithful.”  Our trials will be proportioned to our strength, or strength will be supplied in proportion to our temptations.  Though Satan be a deceiver, God is true.  Men may be false and the world may be false; but God is faithful, and our strength and security are in Him.  “He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear.”  He knows what we can bear, and what we can bear up against; and he will, in his wise providence, either proportion our temptations to our strength or make us able to grapple with them.  He will take care that we are not overcome, if we rely on him, and resolve to approve ourselves faithful to him.  We need not perplex ourselves with the difficulties in our way when God will take care that they shall not be too great for us to encounter, especially when “He will provide a way out,” of either the trial itself, or at least the mischief of it.  There is no valley so dark that he cannot find a way through it, no affliction so grievous that he cannot prevent, or remove, or enable us to support it, and in the end overrule it to our advantage.  We cannot fall to a temptation if we cleave first to him. 

Found this from Spurgeon: “Fellow traveler, do not say in your heart, “I will go here and there, and I shall not sin;” for you are in the most danger of sinning when you are boasting of security.  Be on your guard.  In handling highly-combustible material, we must be careful to avoid any flame that could ignite it and set off an explosion; and you, too, must take care that you enter not into temptation.  There is nothing in this world to foster a Christian’s piety, but everything to destroy it.  You should be very anxious, indeed, to look up to God, that He may keep you.  Your prayer should be, “You hold me up, and I shall be safe.”  Be sober; be vigilant, danger may be in an hour when everything seems the most secure to you.  Therefore, be alert and self-controlled so that you can pray.  No one ever fell into error through being too careful.  May the Holy Spirit guide us in all our ways, so they shall always please the Lord.”

Posted by Christine at 19:47:15
Comments

2 Responses to “1 Cor 10:12-13”

  1. Anonymous says:

    I’m here on the 28th floor of the 4 seasons hotel in Miami. As the sun is setting out my window I am enjoying Jeremiah Burroughs who wrote in the early 1600’s. I found this worth repeating: “He will convey some secret influences of His grace to you to enable you to do it.(peace with God). He will give you a heart to labor for it, which is one sign of our peace. Help. 1. And therefore let me persuade you to do what you can. Do but keep (for the present)from the outward acts of sin, and do not willfully give way to the inward or outward acts of sin. Labor to get your hearts to the point where may you say, “The Lord knows I do not willfully yield to any known sin.” convince your hearts, possess your hearts thoroughly that it is the great work that you have to do in the world, that this is that one thing that is necessary for your souls, and you shall find that even this will be a mighty thing to help you on”. Possess your hearts thoroughtly, I like that. We are always looking for great works to do for God. How about being at peace with God by being obedient and not entering into any known sin. (He is not talking about the peace as a result of salvation but daily peace as we walk with Him) I liked what Spurgeon had to say in your entry. hope you are well. Love mom

  2. Anonymous says:

    This post reminded me of the verse in Jeremiah 17:9 “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?” I am becoming more and more aware of how important it is to “flee the very appearance of evil.” On my own I will fail eveytime, but God is faithful. He promises to always give us a way of escape…the question is, will we take it? Thanks for sharing this Christine! It was such a good reminder. -Lana-

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