"For sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, deceived me, and
through the commandment put me to death." (Romans 7:11, NIV)
Kids at school are warned about smoking, alcohol and drugs. The message is quit
clear: Avoid them at all cost. Many make a commitment to never smoke nor take
drugs; however, once under peer pressure at high school, many of them cave in.
One grade 7 teacher had received a commitment from 26 of his students to never
smoke. Only two of his 28 students abstained from making that commitment. A few
years later, he would learn that 26 of his former students were now smoking.
Only two has stood by their commitment. Although they had been warned of the
consequences, peer pressure caused them to give in.
A couple of students taking a Sociology class at a nearby high school decided to
find out how many of the student body were taking drugs. They were quite
surprised! 85% of the students had tried drugs at one time or another, while 65%
were taking drugs daily. They had been warned, but they didn't take it to heart.
We may ask “why”, but then we have to ask the same question about why we, too,
fall into one kind of temptation or another. Why did Eve give in? Why did Adam
follow in her steps? Why are we doing the same thing?
There may be many reasons, but none of them can justify our actions. Only One
took this fallen nature to heart, when He willingly died on a lonely cross so
that we could find a breakthrough from our own stupidity. He died so that we
could live. He rose from the dead, guaranteeing that victory is ours, if we
accept His offer.
Quite a good deal, don't you think? Still, many remain under the pressure of
others, wallowing in despair. It doesn't have to be this way. Only One can
promise us: "The Spirit of the Lord is on me because he has anointed me to
proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the
prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to
proclaim the year of the Lord's favor." (Luke 4: 18,19, NIV)
In His love,
Rob Chaffart
The Illustrator: This daily newsletter is dedicated to encouraging
everyone to look towards Jesus as the source of all the solutions to our
problems. It contains a daily inspirational story, a Bible verse and encouraging
messages. HTML and plain text versions available.
The Nugget: Published three times a week, this newsletter features inspirational devotionals and mini-sermons dedicated to drawing mankind closer to each other and to Christ.