Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone.
James 1:13
We struggle with temptation, it seems like we are confronted with a never-ending seduction in our life. Quick, easy, cheap or convenient is ever before us and like a bad penny; we can’t seem to get very far from it all.
We naturally assume if we are made in the image of God, He must also struggle with these temptations, after all He has all power and we know that power is the most corruptive element in the universe. Surely being all-powerful has corrupted Him in some small way.
James makes it absolutely clear, God is not tempted by evil and He plays no part in tempting us. God sees the implications or ripple effects of every choice into eternity. Just as a highly educated and honored chef would in no way be tempted to serve dog crap on a menu, there is no temptation at all for him for he knows it would destroy his restaurant. In the same way, only a trillion times stronger, God sees the waste and destruction of sin and is not tempted in any way for sin is crap, (waste) only much, much, much worse.
We on the other hand are creatures of the dust. We can be tricked and our deceitful heart plays a part in our broken world. We must learn that eating crap will kill us, no matter what the world, social media, marketers or demons tell us.
It is the risk God is willing to take to help us grow up. We are tempted, that is now a part of life in a broken world, But let’s be absolutely clear, He has overcome and offers us the power to follow in His footsteps. He is without sin and invites us to share in the power, joy and peace of this life in Him.