Signs of temptation

This post is about one of the studies I did a while ago but did not get to put it on my blog. 
I was studying the book of Genesis and read through the first temptation that man had to face. I then was trying to make sense of how the temptation actually looked like and what are those human elements involved during the process of being tempted and heeding to the temptation.

With the help of some cross references and my study I found a very interesting parallel - the first temptation of man to the first temptation of Jesus. It struck me when I later found the summary of the two incidents in 1 John 2:16.
"For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world." 

My study was made complete by the above verse. It beautifully summarizes and gives life to my study about the signs of temptation. May be those of you who are reading this have already figured it out long time ago or may be there are other studies online.But for me it just dawned on me one day and when I found out about it I strongly felt that the Spirit of God was teaching me something very important. I could not contain it and shared it with Vijay and my Bible study friends. I put my notes in the form of a table and hope it is easy for you to understand.

Real life examples	Lust of the flesh	Lust of the eye	Boastful pride of life
Satan to Eve –Gen 3:2-6	Good for food – V6	Delight to the eyes – V6	Be like God – V4,V6
Satan to Jesus–Lk4:3-12	Stone to bread – V3	Showed kingdoms – V5	You are Son of God – V9
Other examples	Esau Gen 25: 31-34 Saul 1 Sam 15:9	Lot Gen 13:10,13	Job’s 3 friends Job 42:7
Godly response for the above examples	Obedience is better than sacrifice 1 Sam 15:22	Prudent sees danger and hides himself. Prov 22:3	Silence is also wisdom Prov 17:28, Job13:5,2:13
Our lesson	Flee from lusts 2 Tim 2:22 1 Tim 6:11	Temptation comes from our lusts Jam 1:14-16	Test everything and hold on to good 1 Thes 5:21,22
Application	Crucify the flesh Gal 5:24	Fix your eyes on Jesus Heb 12:2	Humility like Christ Phil 2:1-11

We do have a God who is faithful and does not allow us to be tempted beyond what we can bear and He will provide a way out for us(1 Cor 10:13).

After this study when I read any scriptures which talk about sin or temptation or disobedience I was able to categorize it into one of the above three. There are many more examples but I just gave a few to drive my point home. We know how Adam and Eve fell into the temptation and Jesus did not. If only we knew the scripture will we be able to discern good and evil by the wisdom and grace given by God.
"Jesus replied, "Are you not in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God?" - Mk12:24

If you are.......

Today when I woke up and spent time studying my Bible, people who I know are going through a hard time kept flashing in my mind. I was thrown into a mix of emotions. I want to lift up to God in prayer all those in need. I also want to thank God for all the countless blessings he bestowed upon me.

If you are sad that your leg is broken,

I know one who has no legs.

If you are discouraged that you failed your exam,

I know one who does not know how to read.

If you are worried about the future of your job,

I know one who is jobless battling for daily survival.

If you are restless with your spouse for minor things,

I know of one who lost her husband the year they married.

If you are bitter that someone robbed you,

I know one whose house was fully burnt up in wildfires.

If you are resentful of your kids not living it your way,

I know one whose son beats him up and tortures the mom.

If you are vexed about waiting for your life partner,

I know one who was once handsome and brilliant

But an accident tore him apart mentally and physically.

If you are angry with your parents for not heeding to your wants,

I know one who is an orphan and has none to look up to.

If you are distressed that your eyes are not beautiful,

I know one who is born blind and cannot even see.

If you are dejected for not having the best car,

I know one who never could afford the cheapest one.

If you are troubled that you’re unable to buy another house,

I know one whose home is the pavement or park benches.

If you are furious that you are suffering for others’ fault,

I know One who died for you so that you may have Eternal Life.

Open your eyes and heart to see the light shining down from the heavens.

If you have Jesus, you have nothing in want; the world and its worries

Are temporary and this life will pass by; only Jesus’ Kingdom will remain.

Be grateful for everything and be prayerful for anything!

Hall of FAME vs Hall of FAITH

It has been a long time since I penned down my thoughts. Here I am finally writing about something I have been learning and challenged over the past few weeks. As you have already read the title it is “Hall of FAME vs Hall of FAITH.” Hall of Fame constitutes the list of people who are famous in their own field of profession or interest. Hall of Faith constitutes the list of people who are famous for their faith.

Madame Tussuads is a wax museum in London. Most of us are familiar with it or at the least heard of it. It is known to have the wax figures of many famous and prominent people. It displays the waxworks of film stars, sports stars, musicians, world leaders, cultural figures, ill-famous murderers and royalty across the globe. It is considered to be an honor to have your figure waxed in Madame Tussauds. People dream about it! Nevertheless I am not sure of the criteria based on which the decisions are taken. It is however a good example to describe the term “Hall of Fame” in today’s world.

Now may be you are starting to think of getting into the “Hall of Fame.” Well I have a much better proposition - the “Hall of Faith.” The first response that comes to our mind when we talk about the heroes of faith is Hebrews 11. You got it right. We know people who are famous for their faith in the Bible. They were not movie stars or sports stars or any other super stars! They were people who were known for their simple faith. I say simple faith because it does not involve any complications or prerequisites or publicity. It is faith in action. James 2:14-17 talks about it. The faith that our heroes in the Bible had, was not only the redeeming faith but also the life changing and impacting faith in action. It not only changed their lives but also affected the people around and rightly so continues to challenge us Christians till today. We can also see a similar description about love in action in 1 John 3: 16-18. Again the emphasis here is on action! It is not just about intellectual faith and intellectual love but it is about faith in action and love in action.

God gives us the perfect example of how he acted out His love for us. I am sure John 3:16 is ringing in your mind. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” The word I would like you to concentrate on is “GAVE.” He did not stop by just telling us He loves us but showed us in action. The next word that is important is “BELIEVES.” God acted and is calling us to act. But friends it is just the beginning of our action. This act of belief is what should lead us to go out and live in the standards of our calling to fulfill our faith and love. Our faith is dead without actions. We are called to walk in His footsteps. “Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did.”- 1 John 2:6. “To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.”- 1 Pet 2:21

This is the hard question. What are you known for? I am not talking about fame or reputation here. When people talk about you, what comes to their mind? Let me put it this way. What is that about your being and living that grabs the attention of people. Please do not get me wrong if you are known for your talents, skills or abilities. Praise God for such Christians! What I am trying to bring out here is- Are you a hero of your faith? There are a large number of unsung heroes of faith whom I have been discovering of late. It is amazing to see that they are tremendously influencing the society for Christ. They do not belong to the Hall of Fame but they do rightly have earned their place in the Hall of Faith.

“The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.” – 1John 3:1.

 “… let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” – Matt 5:16.       

“"With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." – Matt 19:26

^“7 But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. ⁸ What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ ⁹ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in^[a] Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. ¹⁰ I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, ¹¹ and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.” – Phil 3: 7-10

May we not strive for the approval of men (Hall of Fame) but live for the praise of God (Hall of Faith) alone because he sees our in and out. We may not be famous in this world but surely God honors our commitment to follow him diligently. God knows greater than what our heart does. Let us not just be sitting Christians but I would like to encourage us to be walking Christians!