retweeting jesus | james devotional thursday | june 19 Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death (James 1:15). Conception and childbirth are normally happy occasions. In previous generations, a new dad distributed cigars; today, they post pictures on Instagram and Facebook. But James mentions this normally joyous event to illustrate a tragedy, the course of temptation in our lives. In his illustration, the woman who becomes pregnant is “Desire.” (Other translations use the words “evil desires” or “lust.”) So, Desire conceives and gives birth, not to a baby but to sin. Babies usually grow for about 40 weeks before they are born. Perhaps that was James’ idea in this illustration. Sinful desires, when given time to be nurtured in our lives, will result in sinful behavior. The course of temptation in our lives is that desire progresses to sin. And sin grows up to have a child of her own. That child, now the grandchild of desire, is death. This is a frightening image. Conception and birth should lead to life. But in James’ illustration, the nurturing of evil desires results in sinful behaviors. And sinful behaviors, if nurtured, lead to death (spiritual and/or physical death). Thankfully, we don’t have to live this way. Jesus came to rescue us from this deadly cycle of sin (Romans 7:24-25). Rather than nurturing evil desires in our lives, we can submit to God (James 4:7). Rather than walking in the flesh, we can walk in the Spirit (Galatians 5:16-18). In tomorrow’s devotion, we will see that there is another birth, which brings life. . @daily prayer: O God, tragically, our desires lead to sin, which results in death. Thankfully, you did not leave us in our sin. Instead, you gave your Son to redeem us. And you freely give your Spirit to indwell and empower us to live for You. Thank you, O God, for your great mercy and grace in our lives, which are available for everyone through faith in Jesus Christ. Amen.
Posted on: Thu, 19 Jun 2014 10:19:24 +0000
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