Trying and Failing

Good Monday morning! Did you watch Brain Games last night on the National Geographic channel? I like shows like that. All those tests prove that I am no better than anyone else. I laughed and laughed as I fell for the tricks of vision and attention. Years ago, I would have come down on myself for not being part of the 1 in 3 or 1 in 12 that had the ability to spot the change or trick. No sense in doing that anymore, I am as God has created me added to the fallen condition of Adam's sin. That made me wonder: would Adam have fallen for these tricks of vision, attention, or memory? We don't know. The Bible does not give us a description of how much time Adam and Eve spent in Eden before the fall. Perhaps the temptation and eating of the apple happened the very first afternoon of the day Eve arrived, or maybe the couple enjoyed a thousand years of fellowship with God and each other before the fall happened. We don't know.

I may not want to know because it would be so humbling to realize that Adam and Eve were just like me and didn't even last a day in the Garden. I want to think that somewhere in our past people held out against even the sinful thoughts that Jesus spoke of for years and years. Alas, the Bible doesn't seem to have much to help me there. The stories of even the famous faithful include liars, murderers, adulterers, and scoffers. People just too much like me, I'm afraid. On the other hand there is this one fellow. His story is something else entirely.

Of course you realize right away that I am writing about Jesus. While we may feel comforted to know that Timothy was timid just like us, or that even King David had the wrong thoughts during an idle moment, we can also be comforted to read that Jesus was tempted just like we are and did not sin. "But," we say, "that was the Son of God! I could do it if He took over my life, of course I could!" Well, yeah, that is exactly the point! We need Jesus to take charge of our lives to live without sin. We try and try to do it on our own, and we fail and fail in the test.

You are not perfect yet, and neither am I. One day Jesus will finish His work in us through His Holy Spirit and His sacrifice on the cross and then things will be different. Until that day, we must come to our Lord constantly to avoid sin. Have you fallen into sin already this morning? Well, you were probably singing that little tune we all sing so much, "Me, Me, Me...." Sing a new song today, one that sings of the love of Jesus.

Bucky