Devotion for Wednesday, September 7th, 2011
Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death. Do not err, my beloved brethren.
James 1:15-16
In today’s verse we see a destructive process. What is the process? Unhindered desires lead to sin. Sin always brings death. There has never been a sinful act that has lead to life. Sin ultimately brings destruction. When we are tempted, and give in to that temptation, the ultimate end is pain, hurt, and destruction.
Think about all the pain that has come from sin or the effects of sin that has happened through human history. The musician, Andrew Peterson, spoke of it in his hopeful song “After the Last Tear Falls”:
“Cause after the last plan fails
After the last siren wails
After the last young husband sails off to join the war
After the last “this marriage is over”
After the last young girl’s innocence is stolen
After the last years of silence that won’t let a heart open
there is love…”
Application: Today, when you are tempted, don’t just think about the potential benefit to giving into the temptation. Think about the potential harm and destruction that will happen as the result.
Also, take encouragement in this- Death will die one day, because of the resurrection of Jesus. “O Death, where is thy sting. O grave, where is thy victory!”
Study the Scriptures with Ben Jennings 
This verse is so powerful! “Do not err my beloved brethren.” I love the last part of this verse. James is saying how when lust is created it brings forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, brings forth death. That song is so powerful yet prefect for this verse and true! It says that sin brings forth death? So if I sin I die? We’re all going to die at some point, but the more we follow God and stay true to His word, the more we’re living for God and keeping away from sin. It says in the bible that if we honor our mother and father that we’ll live a long life. God garuntees that. The more we stay true to His word and obey Him, we’ll keep away from sin and temptations. I had a huge temptation yesterday.. I could’ve yelled at this table laughing at my friend while she was having a seizure, but I didn’t. I prayed to God for patience, an that the words that came out of my mouth would honor an glorify Him, not to be boastful.. Temptations are hard to avoid and they stink, but God rewards us in ways we never could’ve imagined when we do avoid them! 🙂
Remember to ask God to keep patient and wise today! See you guys tonight at H2O! 🙂
I forgot to add that the part of the verse that says, “Do not err my beloved brethren.” is such a good motivation! James tells us not to stray away from what God wants us to do. He tells us to not stray off into sin! We need to be wise in our decisions! Great advice in the book of James huh? 🙂
Melanie, I’m really proud of you for the way you handled the situation during your friend’s seizure. Hopefully, those kids will learn from your good example. Keep up the good work.
Hope your friend is OK.
When ur tempted u want to do tht thing or u feel like it’s important. I believe tht if u give into the temptation it can cause terrible outcomes. So when we r tempted we got to thing about this….. Am I doing the right thing tht will honor and glorify Jesus? Or am I doing something tht I wanna do cuz I want to? We really need to think about tht!! 🙂 I have an update on my great grandmother, she went ahead and had the surgery and she is now in ICU. (intensive care unit) and the doctors say she’s not doing well. And thanks for all ur prayers about me in school and especially my great gram. It means alot! Love u guys!!! ❤ c u all at H2O tonite!!!!! 🙂
when we r tempted to do something the outcomes can come out terrible.what im talking about is when u r tempted,u may think u r going 2 be happier but u probably aren’t.P.S.,my grandpas doing a little better.he finally sat up yesterday!!! thank u guys 4 all of ur prayers!!means alot!! see u guys tonight!!!! 🙂
I think that the passage is saying that when you are tempted or something to do something wrong and you do it then you are sinning then you keep doing the bad things that god has not planned for you… And then you die in hell.
You’re right Mafalda, sin causes bad things to happen and keeps us from the life God has planned for us. And sin does lead to death and hell.
But don’t forget the good news! Jesus won the victory over death and hell for everyone who believes in Him. After you get saved, your sins (past,present and future) are forgiven because Jesus paid the price for all our sins on the cross.
As Christians, we never have to worry about going to hell. But we still need to fight everyday to avoid sin. Because sin displeases God and still has consequences. It causes trouble and pain to people and makes life alot harder.
God loves us so much that He gave HIs own son’s life to save us. I’m so thankful for that .Avoiding temptations and trying to live a godly life is one way to show that I am grateful for what Jesus did for me.
I just love what you just said!! 😀
Im with Melanie this is powerful I never really thought it could bring so much pain. We dont think about how it could hurt us or other people in till its over where just thinking about how is how good it will be now but we never think what could happen. We all need to keep that in mind.
When were about to fall into temptation we need to think about how much harm it causes us, family, and friends.
thats a great song.
This song goes perfectly with the verse! & I think it’s good that we can all learn about this, so the next time we are tempted we have an idea of what we’re supposed to do! I agree with Blake & Ben, that most of the time we don’t realize how much we hurt not just ourselves, but other people around us when we fall into temptation. That is a good thing to take into consideration next time you are being tempted, just think about how much it will eventually hurt you, and your loved ones. Sin always leads to destruction, there’s no way around it! You can’t expect to sin against God and not be punished for it, right?! I know it’s very hard, but like Melanie said, God will reward us in ways we could never imagine for avoiding temptation! 🙂
Can’t wait for youth group tonight! See you there! 😉
Temptations are so dangerous, because usually in these temptations there is something good that we want to happen because of it. Like relationships, most people do things because they think their relationship will get better. But its not true! By sinning and going against God the only outcome is death. We’ve all sinned, but by living a life for God and doing what He wants us to do, we can live longer, happier*, Godlier lives!
For some reason my hearts hurting today because I don’t know what to do with a trial im going thru. Im praying to God to give me wisdom in the situation, & to help me get thru it. The song really relates to these 2 verses, and i know that with everything i go through, God will always love me. I have God, my family and you guys to help me thru the storms in my life and im so grateful for that, thank you!! see you guys tonight 🙂
Wow!! That song really got me thinking!.When all those temptatiions happen and the outcome is terrible and you think its over because of what u did,just remember “there is love”! When ever I fall into temptations,i think “oh i soooooo regret this” or “Its over,im gonna get in serious trouble”.I never thought of the way the video says it.I honestly never thought about it that much and knowing there is love.Im soooo glad I watched that video,that really helps me alot!!! Wow!!!! Deep inside,that REALLY touched my Heart!! :).Now,onto the verse.I don’t really get this verse.it says “and sin,when it is finished,shall bring forth death”.I……u know what? I just don’t get it! can someone help me understand this verse PLEASE!!!!!!! P.S.,my grandfather is doing a little better.My mom was saying something about the doctors putting him on a diaylisis machine(sorry if i spelled it wrong)Like today or tommorow or they did it yesterday.Anyway,thanks again 4 all of ur prayers!!!! See u guys tonight!!!!!! 🙂
BTW,thats a great song!!!!!!!!! 🙂
What I think the devo is talking about is that there are temptation that are bad and if you do the bad temptation God has no plan for you, he had one but than if you just keep sinning the plan will fad away
Great job cant say that enough! what i got out of this is that sin will take you further than you wanted to go, it will cost you more than youre willing to pay and it can destroy your life. It is so easy to not think about the future and just be focused on the moment. Ultimatley falling into temptation can capture you and destroy you. In the long run following Jesus brings never ending joy, peace within and a lot more. One thing that i try to remember is that sin can effect your future, but God can too in a possitive way.
I think of these verses like a drop of water onto a still pond. The ripples keep going and going…sometimes the effects aren’t even visible on the water because the ripple is also under the water. That ripple is a lot like our sins. Sometimes the effects are seen and sometimes there are effects that are unseen but either way they effect those around us and on and on. We will never understand the fullness of each of our sins other than “sin brings forth death”. Preparing ourselves by learning the wisdom in Gods word can help us to make wise decisions so we don’t make the mistakes of sinning. It’s hard to fathom that the wrong things I do produce death. That is so horrible. I am thankful for the One who took the payment of death on my behalf. Knowing that sin can effect more than just those involved really should make you think twice avout what you are or are not doing. I think so many times we think about what we did that was sin when a lack of doing what is right is also a sin. That is where I struggle. It’s not about what I am doing but about what I ought to be doing that I’m not. Those ripples also go far and can touch many. My prayer for each of us is to have wisdom to know what not to do and the strength to do what is right.