“There met Him ten men who were lepers.” Luke 17:12 NKJV
“Your story can have a happy ending when you trust your life to Jesus.”
My thoughts today are about “little by little.”
Leprosy was a terrible and dreaded disease – a disease that stole one’s life a little bit at a time. It attacked the extremities of one’s body, until it eventually attacked the vital, internal organs. There was no cure and death was slow but sure. Little by little death pushed its way into lives and families. Those with the disease were separated from their friends and family because of leprosy’s irreversible contagion.
Isn’t that the way sin intrudes into a life – little by little? It never starts with something big, just some small thing that no one else would notice. First, it’s just an appetite for something that isn’t yours to have or desire. But you want it; you have to try it. You reason that it’s so small, how much harm could there be?
That’s how so many wrong things begin at first – just a thought of what would it be like, just a desire that wonders why not. And you lose a little bit of yourself every time you compromise what you know is right. Here’s how plain the Bible is: “Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it.” James 4:17 NLT.
Any appetite for wrong that you allow becomes stronger with each indulgence until you deceive yourself. “Remember, no one who wants to do wrong should ever say, ‘God is tempting me.’ God is never tempted to do wrong, and He never tempts anyone else either. Temptation comes from the lure of your own evil desires. These evil desires lead to evil actions, and evil actions lead to death. So don’t be misled, my dear brothers and sisters.” James 1:13-16 NLT.
The appetite is soon replaced with a deceptive attitude that assumes you are an exception. You easily convince yourself that a little indiscretion wouldn’t matter. You rationalize that no one can be good all the time. But James, Jesus’ brother, wrote, “These evil desires lead to evil actions . . so don’t be misled.” And you lose a little more of yourself as each further compromise is allowed.
The attitude of entitled exception that you entertain a little too long inevitably produces an action that seems irresistible, and soon will be. And you lose a little more of who you are and what you are about. James warned, “Evil actions lead to death, so don’t be misled.”
There is an answer, the same one that the ten lepers found. His Name is Jesus! “They lifted up their voices and said, ‘Jesus, have mercy on us!’” Luke 17:13. NKJV. That’s always where you turn first. The story of the lepers ends with their being completely healed of the thing that was destroying their lives little by little. Luke 17:14-19 NIV. Your story can also have a happy ending.
“Remember that the temptations that come into your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will keep the temptation from becoming so strong that you can’t stand up against it. When you are tempted, He will show you a way out so that you will not give in to it.” 1 Corinthians 1:13 NLT.
My prayer for you today is to know that Jesus is always within reach, and so is help.