Wow, 1 Corinthians 10:11-14 is super powerful, warning us what happened to Israel in earlier bible times is written for our examples, for God makes a way of escape from every temptation, but when we refuse His escape plan, the temptation becomes our controlling god-idol.
Likewise James 1:12-18 assures us we willingly yield to the temptation, even though we know yielding to that temptation is sin (James 4:17), separating us from God, and when that temptation has full control of us, death (our enemy—1 Corinthians 15:24-26), comes for us.
And verses 16-18 command us not to be deceived by the short pleasure of yielding to any sinful temptation, separating us from God, because every good and perfect gift comes to us from God, and is His word of truth guiding us to Him, so we do not yield to sin’s temptation.
Proverbs 14:34 tells us, righteousness (being fully right with God), exalts (makes a nation great), but sin (unrighteousness) is a reproach (wicked thing) to any people (anybody).
First John 3 fully explains how God expects members of Christ’s body, the church, to conduct ourselves, because Christians—those in Christ Jesus our Lord—love Christ, the Head of His body, the church, enough not to think, say, or do anything that separates Him and us.
Romans 8:31-39, gives understanding that by our choosing NOT to live daily by how God commands us to live in Christ Jesus, so He lives His life out through us (Galatians 2:20), is the ONLY thing that separates us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord, for it becomes our god-idol; something that means more to us than God, through Christ Jesus, by the Holy Spirit.
Psalm 115:3-8 and 135:15-18, warn us we always take on the likeness of the god-idol we create in our mind; therefore, we become the person our mind creates for us to become, and our selfish god-idol creation opposes and wars against God, separating Him and us, until we ask God to take away our mentally created god-idol, so we can return to Him; which is what the other scripture verses in Psalm 115 and 135, command us to do—serve the Creator God and not the god-idol we mentally created. Our imaginary god-idol cannot help, bless, or provide for us, for this is what the One True God, our Creator, Owner, and Provider does for us (Philippians 4:19), when we continually enjoy a close, intimate, sweet, peaceful relationship with Him.
We prove our love to the Godhead—Father, Son (Word), Holy Spirit—not by the words we speak but by the way we treat God, Christ, the Holy Spirit, His written word, and God’s people—Jews and Christians.
Dysfunctional groups may mouth their love for each other, yet declare war on each other; then it is obvious their actions nullify their words, as do our sinful actions negate our words of love to God, or about Him (1 John 3:18), when our mind imagines more than we know God approves.
Never look at others and think we are excused; but rather look at others, pray for God to conform them to Christ’s image, and for us to also be conformed to His image (Romans 8:28-29), and then they and us become the person God’s word says we were created to become.
Trust in the God whose word we believe, obey, and live, for He is always our wisest choice.
Jim Nabors
