Accept The Challenge
“A trap is only a trap if you don’t know about it. If you know about it, it’s a challenge.”
~ King Rat
I am fascinated by movies about the men and women who work to detect and deactivate mines. There is a steely tension that builds up whenever I watch. They are so tuned in to their environment that they can see the slightest disturbance in the ground that would indicate a buried explosive device or the slightest disarray in rubble that would indicate the placement of a device. If it were me there, the movie wouldn’t exist because I would be obliterated within the first minute.
We may not be experts on landmines; but, we are all experts on sin. We know that sin is always around us, tempting us, trying to trip us up. If we do not make ourselves aware of it, we will fall. If we do make ourselves aware of the temptations in our lives, we have a fighting chance as we can accept the challenge given to us by Jesus Christ to rise above our sinful nature, reject sin, and do good.
This is not like some of the challenges that creep up from time to time to generate money for charity or the like. This challenge has life or death consequences. If we do not accept the challenge, we could easily fall to a life of sin. We all know that once sin gets its claws into us, it is much harder to reject it. Just like any bad habit, sin firmly entrenched could wreak destruction.
This might not be pleasant to consider; however, the stakes have been raised. This is, after all, Monday of Holy Week. In a few days, we will remind ourselves how a sinful world turned itself against Jesus and how, because of our sin, Jesus willingly embraced the agony of the crucifixion in order to give us a chance to return to Him.
That’s all we have, though. A chance. God loves us too much to force us to do anything. He is not going to make us return to Him. He only gives us a chance. We need to reject sin, to rise above its tendencies, and to embrace a live of good. Consider that this day and this week.
It might look, at times, as if sin is going to win in our lives. When you’re feeling that way, remember one thing: against Jesus, sin has no chance. Stand with Jesus, then, and live.
FAITH ACTION: Ask God for the gift of discernment so that you might rise above the traps that sin sets for you.