He said he likes to burn things, so he asked the neighbor if he could help burn their huge brush pile. Honestly. We didn’t like the looks of it and were afraid they would never get around to it. It’s mostly gone now, thanks to the man of the house. The small pile that’s left to dispose of was left there by the previous owners. Who knows how long it’s been sitting unattended. He was thinking of leaving that section alone, since rodents and other vermin may now call it home, but he has begun clearing it out. The part that has been burned was fresh brush from this spring when the new owners cut down all the trees.
But here’s the problem. It gets really windy in our neck of the woods. And if you’re not paying attention, you could start a fire on a windy day. Or if it doesn’t seem too windy at first, you could suddenly find yourself in a wind storm. That’s a problem when a fire is going. At least, that’s what we discovered last week.
The fire in the firepit was smoldering when he suddenly noticed some smoke in the mulch near the garage. He couldn’t figure out what was causing it until he took a closer look. A spark had blown over and set the house on fire. Oh. It didn’t burn out of control, but we now have a burned spot in the lower edge of the garage siding. Perhaps future landscaping will hide the incident. But he has discovered extra siding in the shed, so maybe that will take care of the issue. We’ll see.
Now I understand why some of the surrounding counties have issued burn bans. They know we’re in a drought like season where fires can easily and quickly get out of control.
There’s always a lesson we can learn when we own a home and try to stay current with the upkeep. You never know what issues will come your way. And they’re usually unannounced and uninvited. And unaffordable. But that’s the way life goes, isn’t it?
So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin. James 4:17
We may find ourselves presented with a temptation to sin when it’s least expected. We’re minding our own business, perhaps even helping someone else. And bam! Along comes a temptation and we find the wall of our house smoldering with a small flame of temptation. And the temptation becomes so strong that it burns the siding of our house. Oh, we say. We didn’t see that one coming. But what were we caught up in when the temptation arose? Were we minding our own spiritual business? Did a stray spark of temptation blow our way when we weren’t watching? Was it necessary for us to put ourselves in that situation? Could it have been avoided?
How do we actually define unexpected temptation? Or do we say any temptation is unexpected? Oh. We can set ourselves up for a temptation when we get carried along in some activity or conversation that begins moving in a dangerously sinful direction. We can stop the temptation in its tracks, can’t we? Absolutely. But what if we are drifting into temptation by subtly ignoring warning signs? And then we can’t understand why suddenly we’re faced with a temptation to say yes to something we should say no to, or to say no to something we should say yes to. Were we really caught offguard?
Temptation does enter our lives unannounced. What fun would it be to Satan if he told us ahead of time that he was going to tempt us with something that seemed good but had eternal consequences? Would we invite him into our homes and ask him to sit down and explain it in detail? Would we be excited to know that we were being offered a sinful experience? Knowing it could cost us an eternal presence with our Lord and Savior, would we be willing to entertain Satan and his lofty ideas?
Just as a reminder, here’s the definition of sin. Anything that goes against the will of God is sin. If God disapproves and hates it, it is sin. Sin is rebellion against God and breaking his laws.
Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away. These desires give birth to sinful actions. And when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death. James 1:14-15
Everyone who sins is breaking God’s law, for all sin is contrary to the law of God. 1 John 3:4
Do not let sin control the way you live; do not give in to sinful desires. Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Instead, give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God. Sin is no longer your master, for you no longer live under the requirements of the law. Instead, you live under the freedom of God’s grace. Romans 6:12-14
When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God. Galatians 5:19-21
We must guard our hearts and thoughts and desires against the schemes of Satan. We must use wisdom in our everyday decisions. We have the power to choose between right and wrong, good and evil. We have the power and authority to say no to anything that displeases God. We always have a choice. We have the final say in our decision to choose to sin or to obey God. God allows us that. He won’t intervene in our decisions and force us to obey him. So it’s our choice. Always.
We don’t have to burn the house down just because the wind blows hot embers near it. We can keep the sparks of sin at bay by staying vigilant and by studying God’s word and saying no to temptation. Just as we can follow the burn bans, we can also follow God’s commands and walk in obedience.
Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. Proverbs 4:23
Mercy for the Day 