Today’s Moment of Truth, from the archives
Message #228
Subject: Granddaughter of Desire
Scripture Reference: James 1:14-15
Baseball player and manager Yogi Berra, a man famous for homespun proverbs,
once said, "If you come to a fork in the road, take it." By this, he probably meant
that when opportunity knocks, be sure to answer the door. He certainly got that
right!
If he'd thought about it a little, though, Ol' Yogi might have put his saying about
the fork in the road a little differently. Most of us will testify that spending a few
moments standing at the fork, thinking about the choice we are about to make, is
not time wasted. Some of the simplest choices we make can have long-lasting
effects indeed.
This is especially true of choices based on desire, on passion. How much
heartache could we have saved ourselves if we had taken a moment to think
before blindly following some hunger in our soul. There is danger in unbridled
desire. As the Bible makes clear in James chapter 2, there are actually two
generations of dangers that come from our passion; passion produces sin, then
sin produces death. James 2:14-15 reads, "Each one is tempted when, by his
own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Then, after desire has
conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death"
(NIV).
According to James, desire "gives birth to" sin, which is the first offspring of
passion. How many times, since Eve first desired the forbidden fruit, has some
wrong desire led to a personal wrong done to another or to God! It certainly pays
to keep passion in check.
But passion also has a "granddaughter," a second generation effect, a further
result, which is even more frightening than the sin. As James puts it, "sin, when
it is full-grown, gives birth to death." Sin develops a life of its own. Then, if it
continues, sin will eventually take the life of the sinner.
At the Denver Rescue Mission, as you might expect, are numerous examples of
this "granddaughter" of passion. During one recent year, two men who entered
our residential drug and alcohol program suffered premature death as a more or
less direct result of their sin. One was murdered in a crack house; one died a
death of complications from abuse. But the same story could be told of
thousands, if not millions, of men and women in all strata of society, who have
first yielded to temptation, then continued in the sin until it took their life. Sin, and
its "mother," desire, are not ladies to be entertained lightly.
Martin Luther once said that he couldn't keep the birds from flying over his head,
but he sure could keep them from making a nest in his hair! Likewise for us,
while temptations will arise, it will pay us, in some cases even with our lives, if we
will nip our desire in the bud, before it blooms into a sin and finally produces its
terrible and tragic fruit of death.
So, if you come to a fork in the road that involves some forbidden desire, don't
just "take the fork." Instead, take the time; consider where the fork will finally
lead. The life you save could be your own!
Thought: The heat of passion fuels the stewing of regret.
Prayer Suggestion: Fill us with the patience, Lord, today, to consider our paths
carefully, especially when strong emotion may cloud our vision.
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