Temptation

Yesterday morning, Luna, my dog decided to start an awful trend.  In the early mornings and at night we have rabbits that hop around the woods behind our house.  The problem; Luna loves rabbits!  She will first sit majestically and wag her tail at them.  Next, she will pace from one side of the yard to the other, accompanied by a small growl every now and then.  After this, she will begin barking hysterically at the poor things.  And as I found out yesterday morning, the final stage of this sequence includes sprinting after the rabbits, regardless of the cost.  The cost in this scenario is, of course, the invisible fence.  I'd like to think of Luna as a pretty smart dog, and she has learned her boundaries by this electric fence.  She has also learned the consequences of crossing those boundaries.  I, too, know this consequence because my wife dared me to try it out and it hurts!  I have concluded that, sometimes, her temptation to chase this rabbit clouds her knowledge and rationale and she knowingly absorbs a good shock all because of this temptation.

Is this far from us as humans?  I am guilty of falling to temptation, being fully aware of the consequences of my actions.  Whether they be internal guilt or outward disciplines, sometimes the temptation may feel like the only option I have.  I have been "shocked" many times and like an animal, continue to fall to the same temptation.  God has created us not to act like animals, but to be over the animals.  It is my prayer that God can open my eyes to when I am beginning to sit majestically and wag my tail at whatever temptation is in front of me at the moment.  I know that by the time that I am barking frantically and pacing back and forth, it is too late!  

Today, I read up to 2 Samuel 15.  The one thing that struck me was the story of Amnon and Tamar.  Amnon was one of David's sons and Tamar was his half sister.  Amnon loved Tamar to the point of being sick because he knew he couldn't do anything about it.  One of his friends advised Amnon to rape Tamar and Amnon did it.  Here is the point of the story....once Amnon raped his sister, the Bible says that he hated her more than he had loved her before.  The way I see it, Amnon fell in temptation and sin, and as always, the temptation did not delivery as advertised.  It probably turned out far worse than he could have imagined.  The end result was that Amnon got murdered by his brother Absalom.

Temptation is an evil tool that Satan uses for all of us.  Be on your guard, my brothers and sisters, so that we will not fall into temptation!  Learn your weaknesses in this area so that you may know when you need help.  It is my prayer that you can surround yourselves with strong, Christian friends that will motivate you to flee from these temptations.