Day 27

“There is always a way out.”
Purpose Driven Life
Point to Ponder: Day 27

This is good news to me.

I have stopped thinking about temptation and sin in terms of my individual negative way, i.e. don’t cuss, drink, dance, play cards, have sex, smoke, do drugs, go to rated “R” movies, that sort of thing.

I now view temptation and sin in terms of a positive community way, i.e. take care of the sick, poor, oppressed, environment, orphans and widows.

Instead of focusing on the seemingly negative things I might be tempted to do that involve only me, I should focus on the positive things I could do for my community but am tempted not to.

In our individualistic consumer culture (which includes the church) it is easy to be tempted not to show our love for others. We buy stuff for and we look after ourselves, maybe our family. We only care about people like us. We simply don’t care about starving people in Africa. We barely care when people starve in America. We may say we care but for the most part our actions prove otherwise.

I am glad that God gives us a way out of that temptation.

Maybe one day we will stop condemning others and ourselves for how “bad” we are and start being the people we were made to be by meeting each other’s needs.

Maybe.