January 13 Daily Devotional

Scripture for Day 13—James 1:13–16

¹³ Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am being tempted by God," for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. ¹⁴ But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. ¹⁵ Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death. ¹⁶ Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers.

Devotional:

But when God sovereignly orchestrates trials and we do fall into sin, then if that isn't God's fault, whose fault is it? Look at v. 14—"But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire." God does test us. But temptation starts in our own hearts. It starts with "desire." How can this be? God himself has desires. And God created us with desires. Accordingly, without a shred of sin, our Savior said, "I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer" (Luke 22:15). In and of themselves, desires aren't evil.

Unhappily, owing to the rebellion of the human race, we come into this world totally depraved; every aspect of our being is polluted by sin. That includes our desires. "The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually … the intention of man's heart is evil from his youth" (Gen. 6:5; 8:21). Do you believe that about yourself? It's a fact that we need to take seriously. "Each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire." Our sinfulness is such that even good desires for good things can be a first step in a downfall. If that's so, then how much more dangerous must be wrong desires for good things, let alone wrong desires for wrong things. "Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life." (Prov. 4:23).

"Each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire." Picture the bait on a fishing hook. First, you're "lured" by your "own desire." Then you're "enticed" (in other words, you get "hooked" like a fish). And what comes of it? Temptation promises great rewards, perhaps even relief from your trials. But if you take it up on its offer, what does it deliver? Verse 15, "Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death." Therefore, "Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers" (v. 16). It's been said:

Sow a thought, reap an act.
Sow an act, reap a habit.
Sow a habit, reap a character.
Sow a character, reap a destiny.

Only the grace of God in Christ can break that deadly chain-reaction. And that's precisely what's implied in the words, "my beloved brothers," at the end of v.16. James is addressing fellow-Christians, redeemed children of God who love because God first loved them. Because God loved us, even while we were enemies, he sent his Son to die in our stead in order to redeem us. All who are in Christ are children of God, brothers and sisters in God's family. Jesus cleanses us from both the guilt and the power of sin. And so, even when we stumble and fall in the face of temptation, we can run straight to our heavenly Father and confess our sins openly in light of his sovereign mercy in Christ. And we can seek the help of the Holy Spirit to empower us to overcome temptation and grow in Christlikeness.

Click here for background on the author of Are You For Real?: Meditations in the Epistle of James for Secret or Family Worship.