We all taste the apple. The juicy, sweet flesh promises fulfillment and satisfaction. We eat and enjoy and lose sight of what it really is. We look at the half-eaten fruit and decide we don’t want it after all so we throw it away, watching as it rolls through the dirt. But we can’t get our mind off of it. Eventually we go in search of it crawling through the garbage until we once again claim our prize – now covered with muck and slime. But that does not deter us. We remember the juicy flesh underneath so we bite it once again, savoring the bliss even through the filthiness.
Would you taste my apple? What if I offered you $20 to bite the partially-eaten rottenness that I have licked all over? Not enough you say? What if I offered you $30 or $40? Are you thinking one bite might not be too bad? What if I rub the crud-covered fruit in my sweaty armpit? No way, you think! I won’t eat that, it’s disgusting!
But we all have a price.
What if I offered to pay off your car? Would you eat it now? What if I offered to pay off your mortgage? Would it be worth it? You hypocrite! You are no different than I am! You have your price and you have your fruit of temptation that you secretly eat and that seductively pulls you into oblivion. Satan is extremely patient, just as patient as God. He waits until the right time, offering your price and you will devour the fruit no matter what impurity it contains.
We masturbate, lust, drool over pornography, seek money, power, popularity, sex - whatever that fruit is we desire the delight and gratification it brings. And we are all one decision away from that bite. I am only one step away from giving in to that temptation.
Yes, we all have a price. We were bought with a price greater than any of us could ever pay. God paid the life of His only Son so we would not be controlled by Satan’s temptation any longer. Through Christ’s shed blood we have the power to throw the fruit far away from us, never to be sought after again.
We can help each other to stay strong. Standing together we can hold each other up. Linking arms we become an impenetrable line of strength powered by God’s Holy Spirit. I need you to pray for me and support me in my moment of temptation. We need to have each other’s back, watching for the enemy’s attack. We do not need to live in bondage to our sin any longer! Jesus paid the ultimate price for our freedom. Let’s not throw that sacrifice back in His face by ignoring its power.
“Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives. Let us not become conceited, or provoke one another, or be jealous of one another.
Dear brothers and sisters, if another believer is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path. And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself. Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ. If you think you are too important to help someone, you are only fooling yourself. You are not that important.” Galatians 5:24 – 6:3
Be blessed,
Steve
