Common temptations

Paul taketh away (our excuses) but he also giveth. I especially like 1 Cor 10:13: "No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it."

Of course, the verses preceding it are a continuation of yesterday's passage about how most of God's people never made it out of the desert. Verse 12 says, "So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall!"

Both warning and comfort are rooted in the same thing: God's, and Paul's, awareness of our weakness. We can have good intentions, but when we rely on our own efforts, we're at risk all the time.

There are two things I like about verse 13. The first one is that my temptations aren't anything special; in fact they're common. It's tempting to think that I'm different, that no one would understand. For the same reason, it's comforting to know that others are facing, and beating, the same things I'm up against. Of course, it removes an excuse too.

Second, God is faithful. I almost get the feeling here of God close by, watching. It's like I'm the little kid on the bike, He's the attentive parent letting me figure it out but there to catch me if I look like I'm going to crash. Like that parent, God doesn't challenge me with more than I'm ready for, and if I listen, He also shows me the way through it.

Of course, the danger with any safety net is that we take unnecessary risk. I don't think this verse means I can flirt with temptation, or that in the name of ministry I can boldly take spiritual risks.

It's a little like it used to be going out on patrol; we had the training and equipment to do what we needed to do, and a ton of combat power just a radio call away. We watched out for trouble, but if we stumbled into any we knew what to do. And if we couldn't handle it, well, indirect fire support was maybe 120 seconds away and we could build from there.

Except God isn't 120 seconds behind, He's out ahead. He's already seen everything that gets to us. That's comforting.