The NLT version says that human effort accomplishes nothing. How true for us today. Joseph properly assesses the temporal and eternal cost and has now properly assessed the danger. The final key is when sin simply forces its way into the scene:
One day, however, no one else was around when he went in to do his work. She came and grabbed him by his cloak, demanding, "Come on, sleep with me!" Joseph tore himself away, but he left his cloak in her hand as he ran from the house. -- Genesis 39: 11-12 (NLT)
Joseph tried. Even on this day he waited until no one else was around to go in and do his work but sin was insistent and demanding as we learned in the previous devotional. But we also learned that no matter how insistent and demanding sin is, the act of committing sin is always an act of the will. Joseph could have given in here to the temptation, the badgering, the hormones or any other influence but as an act of his will -- he ran! That is the final key to victory over sin. Run! We must realize that we can do the first three things correctly and sin can still stand there defiantly knocking on the door to our soul. Demanding to have its way in our life. If we find ourselves in that position we must do what Joseph did and run! Run hard. Run fast. Run and keep running until we are clear from the imminent danger.
Sounds simple enough but the truth is that we like to play around a little bit too much with the prospects of sin. We flirt around the edges of it, toying with it. The reality is that it is toying with us and our foolish pride blinds us from seeing it. Do we fancy ourselves stronger than King David was on the night he first saw Bathsheba? Read his life up until that point and the only answer we should come away with is no. Foolish, foolish pride"which brings us to the key verses for today.
The best way to combat the foolish and blinding pride is to humble ourselves before God. Resist the devil and he must flee from us. It does not say dance with the devil, flirt with the devil, or even fight the devil -- just resist. Joseph resisted at every single turn and in the end -- he ran! James then cuts to the heart of the matter when it comes to our allowance for sin in our lives -- we have divided loyalty. We are split between God and this world and it should not be so:
Dear friends, I warn you as "temporary residents and foreigners" to keep away from worldly desires that wage war against your very souls. -- 1Peter 2: 11 (NLT)
The problem is that we do not act as temporary residents or foreigners in this world. We act sometimes as if this is where we belong. It is interesting that Peter here echoes what we have been discussing -- we need to keep away from the worldly desires which war against our very soul. We do that first by counting the costs both temporally and eternally. Appreciate what we have and we stand to lose. Secondly, we need to count the danger. We need to avoid the areas we know full well we have no business being in. Lastly, when all else fails we need to take off our prideful blinders and run away as fast as possible. Run away as if our life depends on it -- because it does beloved. It does.
Reverend Anthony
Wade -- July 2, 2012 (Posted June 25th because of impending vacation)
