Author: Will N.

Only one way?

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When it comes to living out the grace of Christ toward others, all of us have certain challenges that we struggle to overcome. Some of us are high-tempered and prone to frustration while others are easily distracted and do not give those around us needed attention.

One of the specific issues I struggle with most is a critical spirit.

Without thinking, I tend to note mistakes of those around me and assign motives to these errors often based more on my own perceptions rather than the reality of the situation.

During the course of my day, I will hear comments in conversation or see posts online that that don’t align with my views or my values. I am often quick to correct, criticize, or mentally cancel a person’s viewpoint based on the fact I disagree with the opinion expressed. Even if the difference is a simply one of preference and devoid of any moral implications, I often still internally roll my eyes at the other person’s obvious mistake. Maybe you feel that same tension at times.

How could a seemingly reasonable person be so gullible to share that post?

Why would anyone enjoy that ridiculous show?

Who could see voting for that person as the best option?

The reality is that on many of life’s issues there is no single correct response.

Were high school experiences “the best years of my life” for all of us? Well, not for me personally, but that doesn’t mean those years weren’t the brightest for someone, and they should be able to reminisce without my disparaging comment.

Are “smaller churches always more friendly” in reality? Definitely not always- I have visited smaller congregations that were not overly warm while I have worshiped with several hundred folks when it seemed like I met each one and was invited by multiple families to eat or visit after services.

Are cities better than small towns? Perhaps you think so and could offer valid reasons, but maybe I just simply prefer the slower pace of rural life.

And on and on.

Is it necessary for me to always insert my snarky, judgmental comment on issues that truly are just matters of personal experience or private opinion?

It’s not.

Our world tells us we have the right to share our views openly on every subject, but possessing the right to speak up doesn’t mean it is always right (or helpful) to do so.

Our culture likes to provide us with a constant stream of clickbait headlines (“Top 10 American Cities for Couples with Small Dogs and a Limited Budget”) and cancel-ready drama (“He Said What!? Read It Here!), but we were never intended to constantly process so much random (and often unnecessary) information.

I believe this recent social development leads to a culture of false comparisons and cynicism. Such a barrage of stimulation and curated social media creates a false feeling of either superiority or inferiority that leads to our lashing out at others.

I need to do a better job of letting other people express their experiences without countering with my own- especially in matters that are simply differences in perspective. Our society is enraptured with outrage, and this intense and angry spirit surfaces on all sides of the political divide and across the religious and economic spectrums.

We hold our views because we value them, and we are free to express them- what we cannot do is demand conformity from others based on our own personal preferences.

I pray that I move more quickly to find common ground and to generously compliment others while at the same time being slow and thoughtful before I criticize. I pray that I realize that a critical spirit not only damages others, but it also hurts my own heart and my relationship with God. The more I move toward my way as the only way, the less likely I am to truly see the other person’s viewpoint, and more importantly, to see and to value the person who serves as the target of my unnecessary criticism as a person who bears the image of a loving, compassionate God who continues to be infinitely patient with me and my own shortcomings.

As a disciple of Jesus, I pray my tendency to criticize others will be overwhelmed by a greater desire to imitate His grace and compassion and to use my life to communicate His love to each person I encounter.

Out of the overflow…

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Over twenty years ago during my first college semester, I took a required course in public communication. While our professor detailed many concepts about developing and outlining different types of effective presentations, one idea especially stuck with me. He reflected on the fact that the most impactful sermons, speeches, and even sales pitches were often those that were less scripted and simply overflowed naturally as the speaker shared freely about a truly personal passion.

“Learn all you can about whatever you love, and you can always speak from the overflow.”

Some people seem born to speak from the overflow.

As a young boy, I listened to my dad’s friends and their seemingly endless streams of sports conversations. Anything from obscure Major League Baseball records to the local high school basketball tournament brackets from 30 years before, these men knew all the details. In that pre-Google world, they had no need to look up information each time a question arose- their lifetimes of passionate fandom had prepared them to respond quickly and accurately on almost any matter sports-related. They loved sports, and they willingly spent their time discussing and debating their passion with anyone who would listen.

Having both heard and given thousands of sermons in my life, some of the most memorable came from the overflow that welled up from within the preacher- those moments that went “off script” and poured out from the depths of the heart. Even the timeless closing of Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech happened when he departed from his prepared notes and blended rhythmic cadence and lofty words to deliver a summation that has echoed down through the decades.

Scripture endorses speaking (and living) out of our passionate overflow.

In Luke 6:45, Jesus says, “A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance [overflow] of the heart his mouth speaks.”

As we look at people’s lives over time, their guiding principles are revealed through their words and actions. When a person drifts off script or private thoughts are caught on a hot mic, the reality of the heart is seen. While all people can and do fall short at times in moments of stress and frustration, the nature of a person’s overall character will be reflected in their lives over time.

Polished presentation of smooth talking points can mislead the masses for a time, but the heart’s abundance will always reveal our true character to those that know us best.

One of the most difficult aspects of navigating faith, family, and friendship is to be able to acknowledge when our loved ones are unaware of (or worse unconcerned about) the damage their unfiltered words cause to the people in their lives. Such overflow may seem incidental, but it springs from the depths of who we are. Over time in the casual, off book moments of life, the actual inclination of our hearts is seen- for better or worse. Believers must always seek to intentionally abide in the life-giving source of God’s love if we want our overflow to serve as grace-filled blessing to others.

The visible fruit that springs forth and ripens in the words and actions of our daily lives ultimately serves to openly reveal the hidden content of our hearts.

Good hearts overflow with good things that serve as a blessing and benefit all. The only way to overflow with blessings toward others is to fill our own hearts and lives with the goodness we are called to in Christ. If we find our own satisfaction in being filled with God’s loving truth, the overflow of our daily lives will both faithfully reflect divine love and serve as a blessing to each person we encounter.

Friends are friends forever…

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I don’t know how many times Bobby and I have prayed together through the years, but it’s been a lot.

Whatever season of my life for the past 25 years, Bobby has been there. The best of times, the worst of times, and a lot of times spent together on the way up or down.

We have acted in variety shows together, preached funerals together, talked baseball together, spoke on sermon series together, whitewater rafted together, hosted Bible studies together, survived multiple Fourth of July weeks in Mississippi together, traveled thousands of miles in his Ford Ranger together, and damaged at least one church van together.

Bobby (and the people I met through Bobby) influenced my faith, my college choice, and many of my personal and professional opportunities. As I grew up, we grew from teacher and student, to mentor and encourager, and then to partners in ministry and friends as equals.

We were sitting in line at the Wendy’s drive-thru in Huntingdon, TN one Wednesday night in 2015 after traveling to a summer series together when Ann Marie texted me to confirm plans for our first official date. I told Bobby, “Something just feels right about this.” Less than two years later, Bobby officiated at our wedding.

Bobby and I are different in many ways, but in one accord and complimentary in the things that matter most. I think sometimes we need people in our lives who love the same things, but love them in different ways or from difference perspectives. Rather than fostering competition, this tension actually creates a more authentic balance by encouraging both people to keep rethinking and stretching in life and ministry.

I am grateful for Bobby and our friendship, and I am so thankful that Freed-Hardeman University shared this photo from one of last week’s chapel services during the Bible Lectureship. Bobby’s son Will, now a student at FHU, is seated on the other side of him removing his Ole Miss cap as we begin the prayer.

Friendships shape who we are, and they also shape our views on every other aspect of life- family, business, politics, hobbies, sports, and, of course, faith. I hope we can all lean into the friendships that shape us into better, more faithful people who are seeking to encourage one another even as we imitate Christ.

“As iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend.”
-Proverbs 27:17


Let Us Not Grow Weary…

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Does it seem like darkness rises up constantly in our world?

The challenges we face in our community, country, and world are not new, but our awareness of them seems to grow day by day. While this increase in information should cause us to advocate strongly for justice, it often leaves us feeling overwhelmed and disoriented. With the saints of ages past, we cry out, “How long, O Lord?”

As followers of Jesus, we are to be concerned about the injustices in our world. Racism, violence, oppression, and the fact that so many people are underfed, underhoused, and underloved in the midst of our material abundance should sound an alarm to every believer. Instead, perhaps as a means of self-preservation, we tend to ignore, downplay, and minimize these challenges as much as possible by suggesting God’s work is primarily future-focused.

“This world has a sin problem” or “We’ll understand it all by and by” are true enough at one level, but we dare not allow such phrases become shameful excuses for overlooking the kingdom work to which we are summoned. If Jesus is truly the same yesterday, today, and forever (Heb 13:8), then He came not only to heal, to save, and to liberate 2,000 years ago, but is seeking to do the same today through His people.

God has always been concerned about the troubles that trouble us.

Whether clothing Adam and Eve to cover their post-sin shame or touching the wounded and broken through the ministry of Jesus, our Father has always cared about His children who face the struggles and strains of daily life in our fallen world.

So much is wrong in our world that we can often feel overwhelmed by the sheer magnitude of obstacles we face. If we are not careful, we become cynical and frustrated by our seeming inability to make any difference. To our fellow believers who were struggling with the big picture and were tempted to give up, Paul wrote, “And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.” (Gal 6:9)

As we live daily in community, Jesus commands us to see with His eyes.

The challenges we face in our world are not merely abstract projects or impersonal budget line items- each issue involves real people with real souls who need a real and lasting connection to their Creator.

The grieving mother, the lonely widower, the hopeless addict, and the self-righteous preacher- all stand in need of the healing found through Jesus. Jesus sets a powerful example for us in how He was able to see and to serve real, struggling people in meaningful ways.

Not content to sit back debating theories with the religious, Jesus went to work healing, feeding, and comforting those who suffered most.

We are called to do the same.

This road to healing and restoration in our world will not be an easy one. Just as there is no shortcut to our own spiritual maturity, there is no fast pass to healing the pain of our world, yet we cannot allow the cynicism around us to drown out the certainty that our actions matter.

We cannot predict the harvest, but we can faithfully scatter seeds of hope.

Others will enter into our labors- just as we have entered into the works that began long before us. At times, weariness will rise, but by faith, we refuse to lose heart.

What we plant today in faithful tears will one day yield a harvest of blessing for those who follow us.

Making It Look Effortless?

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Recently I heard an older woman praising a young mom’s ability to manage multiple family, work, and social responsibilities with the exclamation, “You just make it all look so effortless!”

We understand what she actually meant: “You are so talented and skilled at difficult things that it seems like you don’t even have to try very hard. You’re great!”

We know this compliment is intended as praise- the young mother appeared so skilled at managing multiple challenges that her busy life appeared to others to naturally flow with ease and grace. In reality, the busy mom was no doubt getting up early, dealing with stress related to her children and job, facing the daily struggles of life, relationships, and faith even as she “made it look easy.”

Appearances and reality are often not completely congruent- what others see may not be the entire truth of what we are experiencing as we live out our lives. Some folks around us seem to have it all together, but may actually be falling apart. Others are facing extreme outward challenges with their health, finances, or relationships, but may, in reality, have a deep sense of peace abiding within.

In a passing moment, our perceptions of others are often inaccurate and incomplete.

When we think of Moses, we think of a strong, fearless leader standing before Pharaoh demanding freedom for God’s people, but Scripture goes out of the way to show he was reluctant to accept his call to leadership and consented only once his more eloquent brother Aaron was allowed to be his spokesman. Elijah, who projected prophetic strength in public, was often despondent and discouraged before God. Paul confessed that his many persecutions and concerns for the churches he had planted were sources of anxiety for him and would have overwhelmed him had Christ Himself strengthened and sustained his ministry.

No one is quite as “together” as they seem to the watching world.

In Scripture, women often shine as examples of understated strength. In a culture where they were often in the background, women rise up and are held out to us as heroes of faith.

Rahab, a foreigner with a questionable line of work, becomes the lifeline for God’s people as one who acted in faith and whose name is eventually found in the genealogy of Jesus. Ruth, also an outsider, demonstrates the ability to care for an aged mother-in-law, to be the breadwinner of her household, and to secure a future for herself and her family with her godly character. Esther stands up to law, custom, and the whims of a fickle husband to intercede for her people in their darkest hour. Women are present throughout the ministry of Jesus and the remainder of the New Testament- hosting, financing, worshiping, teaching, and connecting the congregations of the early church.

A faithful life is never effortless for anyone regardless of what appears on the surface. The life of faith is an active one as we seek to grow in grace and serve others, but such commitment is worth our energy and effort as we seek to live for Christ.

May we look for faithfulness in unexpected places this week, and praise it when we find it.

May our own focus be more on building our inner character over maintaining our outward comfort.

When we willingly press further into God’s service by making an effort to use the gifts He provides, He gladly gives us the strength to joyfully live by faith.

Tend Your Garden

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It may seem a bit early in the year to mention a garden, but those who plant and cultivate the soil to bring forth new life know that there is work and planning to do in every season. When it comes to tending the thoughts and feelings that we allow to take root in our minds and hearts, the cycle of planting, nurturing, and harvesting is ongoing- whether we consciously realize it or not.

I have been blessed to live my entire life in a series of rural communities that depend heavily on agriculture. My neighbors and I know what it is like to form a line of traffic behind tractors and planters throughout the work of springtime and then combines and cotton pickers during harvest of the fall. Even in our modern, fast-paced world, the rhythms of our lives are tied to the seasonal changes that impact the land and the folks who work it faithfully. Whether we ourselves are directly employed in agriculture or not, all of us should come to see that our food, clothing, and fuel are all connected to it- not only by local farms, but by the economic and environmental forces tied to farming around the world.

Simply stated, what we plant and harvest affects us all.

This reality is evident in physical farming, but it is just as true when it comes to spiritual matters.

In Hebrews 12, the writer says that encouraging one another is a vital part of the Christian experience. We are to pursue unity and peace, so we can live into the grace of God and receive the fullness of His promised blessings. We are to seek holiness and wholeness as God’s people- both individually and collectively. Why are we told to do these things? We are to actively seek to live together in grace and peace, “…lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble…” (Heb 12:15).

When I fail to tend the inner garden of my heart, and instead dwell on the shortcomings of others or the mistakes of my past, the root of bitterness begins to form in my thoughts, words, and actions. If unchecked, this poisonous plant continues to spread, grow, and strengthen within me.

You may have witnessed a once-cultivated field that has been left fallow and untended for a time. Almost overnight, weeds and grass will appear, then brush and saplings, and soon larger trees and invasive plants like kudzu and spreading vines will overtake the entire area. Despite decades of care, it takes a comparatively short time for that natural wildness to return and dominate once more.

Our hearts are no different.

Unless I am willing to daily examine my life and remove the dangers seeking to grow there, my faith will soon be overtaken by a growing tangle of negativity, bitterness, and self-focus. As these spiritual weeds grow up unchecked, they become so thick and abounding that it becomes far more difficult to remove them without causing severe damage to the fruitful aspects of my life (Mt 13:24-30). Sometimes we cannot see how much our own lives have been overtaken, and we need the caring counsel and encouragement of faithful friends to restore us (Gal 6:1-5). In the same way our local farmers rally to help when a neighbor is struggling to finish the harvest due to sickness or bad weather, we all need fellow believers to gather around us to support and lend a hand in when we face hard times spiritually (Rom 12:15).

Just as it is far easier to uproot a tender tomato plant than a century-old oak, we must recognize that removing negative attitudes and actions is much more easily done before they can take a firm hold in our lives.

“Old habits die hard” is a proven proverb, and so it benefits us and the people we love to deal with our sins and shortcomings before the roots deepen.

If we tend our garden faithfully, our opportunities for fruitfulness in God’s kingdom will grow, and our lives will have the spiritual space to flourish and impact others for God’s glory.

God of all questions…

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Perhaps you have heard well-meaning folks facing difficult circumstances say, “Well, it’s just God’s will, and we can’t question it.”

We may have at times even expressed this idea ourselves. This statement usually arises from a mindset that trusting God without irreverently seeking to understand the deep mysteries of His ways is the marker of a genuine faith.

While this logic often springs from a sincere heart, is this the way we are intended to understand faith? Does biblical faith require us to suspend our questions?

If faithful people are never supposed to ask questions, none of our faith heroes were actually very faithful- Abraham (Gen 15:2), Moses (Exodus 3-4), David (Ps 22:1), and even Jesus (Mt 27:34) all expressed a questions desiring to know the Father’s will more fully. If Jesus, echoing David, could so publicly question His Father in the midst of His greatest trial, why do we so often presume that questioning why things happen is a sign of a weak faith?

Their questions were not a sign of a lack of faith, but a sign of a lack of clarity of why God had called them to a particular task or how a particular challenge was to be resolved. The questions were not just to gain information, but to more fully understand the why of their circumstances.

They actively wondered how a righteous God could (or would) bring about the very promises He had given when their outward circumstances seemed to declare just the opposite result was occurring. Do you ever wonder that too? I sure have at different points in my life.

In Judges, Gideon asks the Angel of the LORD, “O my lord, if the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us?” And where are all His miracles which our fathers told us about, saying, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt?’” (Judges 6:13) Is there an accusation in this query? Absolutely- at least on one level, but could his question not also be seen as confusion, frustration, or grief? Gideon believes the LORD has forsaken His people, and he lays his questions before God.

The LORD does not given Gideon a lecture; He instead empowers him with a clarifying mission. Often the answers we seek come not through a bright light of enlightenment but through a call to obedience and a reminder of God’s overarching promise that He will act for His glory and our good.

Sometimes Scripture answers questions by direct words or through the examples of others (Ps 119:105). Sometimes life’s circumstances resolve in such a way that we can seem to perceive the guiding hand of Providence working for our good (Rom 8:28). And sometimes the answers do not come, but we are the better for having asked the questions. If we learn more about God’s nature and our own spiritual journey through the process of questioning and struggle, may be the answer is not a single clean-cut truth, but the faith that emerges only through enduring the valleys of experience.

Paul writes in 1 Cor 13:12 that, “for now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.” The fact we can only see dimly shouldn’t stop us from looking for God and examining our own lives as we seek to conform them to His will.

The promise of faith becoming sight should be seen an invitation to keep searching and wrestling with our faith- not an excuse to avoid exploring our hearts and seeking to know God more fully simply because our understanding in this moment is limited.

I believe that, by faith, one day we will know all we need to know, but until then may we have the courage to keep questioning and the conviction that He will answer in all the ways we most need here and now.

The everyday nature of greatness…

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Image credit: National Archives. Crossing the Rhine under enemy fire at St. Goar- March 1945. ID: 535978

The Second World War ended almost 80 years ago. While thousands of books, films, and accounts of the conflict have been recorded, each day fewer people who experienced combat and their loved ones who lived through the conflict on the home front remain. Only a few years at most remain until the last members of America’s “greatest generation” pass from this life.

These brave men and women did more than protect the dream of democracy and liberate the world from tyranny- they also form the last living link with the devastation of the Great Depression and the economic rebuilding and social restructuring of America. Many of these same individuals became our social, political, and religious leaders who impacted the following decades through the Civil Rights era, the space race, and the explosion of new cultural movements and technological advances. People who were taught in one room schoolhouses saw the results of the atomic bomb, watched a man walk on the moon, and now can FaceTime their great-grandchildren on the other side of the world in an instant.

Every nation and every community have larger-than-life figures who tower over their history. Sometimes these men and women are politicians or war heroes or long-serving monarchs. Communities of believers have these people turned legends as well. Augustine, Luther, Wesley, Spurgeon, Mother Teresa, Martin Luther King, Jr., Billy Graham- such names evoke powerful memories among those who study church history. While such men and women were far from perfect, they each left a legacy that impacted the spiritual lives of millions. While it is unlikely that we will never achieve worldwide recognition, none of us is without influence. As we live from day to day, we are each crafting our personal legacy of faith.

Are you caring for a preschool-age grandchild a few times a week? Your attitude and influence will shape that child forever. Do you teach a Bible class to a half dozen seemingly-disinterested teenagers each Sunday morning? Some of those young people will grow up and remember not just the facts you shared, but the memory that you showed up week by week and sought to share the love of Jesus with them. Our impact is not always seen instantly or even measured in the course of our lives, but it touches eternity.

While we do not all have the measure of ability, each of us is charged with serving faithfully wherever he or she is planted.

You may not be gifted for greatness in the kingdom, but you are gifted for faithfulness- and faithful is what we are ultimately called to be.

Whether we are preaching to thousands from a prominent pulpit, influencing millions from bookstore shelves, or showing up to patiently love and minister to the handful of saints gathered in a rural congregation, it is not the size of the crowd, but the condition of the heart that determines faithfulness.

We do not look upon the photographs of D-Day or Iwo Jima, see the bravery there, and say “Well, those guys weren’t the generals or admirals or presidents or prime ministers, so they really didn’t matter.” Such a pronouncement would be blasphemy. It would disparage the faithful service of the very people who directly sacrificed the most in a vital moment in the world’s history. While political officials and military commanders were essential, the masses of the almost unknown soldiers were the key to lasting victory.

In the same way, God looks at His kingdom and sees value in each person. No one is nameless or small or insignificant in the kingdom of God. Honored professors, beloved authors, and celebrity preachers have their place, but the vital work of discipleship and ministry is most often carried out by unknown believers in overlooked places never seen by the majority of the watching world.

May we remember the truly great people that helped shape us into we are, and may we seek to use our gifts, whatever their shape or size, to pass on our blessings. We should never forget that our gifts, which may seem to us so very small, can be used for great good when we are willing to yield them faithfully in service to Christ.

Asking for directions…

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When we are willing to ask for help, we receive as well as give a blessing.

When we are willing to humbly open our lives to instruction and correction, we create an opportunity for others use their talents and gifts to edify and encourage us.

While on campus for Freed-Hardeman University’s annual Bible Lectureship last year, I stopped outside the Brewer Sports Center to check my schedule for the day’s sessions before heading over to the campus-wide chapel service. Many ministry/missionary booths were on display inside the main gym, and several people were coming and going- hurriedly seeking to make it to their next session.

A middle-aged man I did not know approached me and said, “I am sorry to bother you, brother, but it is my first time here on campus and perhaps you could help me. Do you know where the Loyd Auditorium is?”

I smiled, looked up, and said, “You’re on the right track. That’s it right there,” and pointed to the large building standing directly in front of him. He laughed at himself, thanked me, and walked off toward the prominent building.

Would he have found the auditorium without involving me?

Almost certainly, but he willingly admitted he wasn’t sure and needed help. Because he was willing to acknowledge he was lacking information, he asked for help and avoided unnecessary wandering or confusion. He was on the right path, but he wasn’t sure of his awareness and rather than unnecessarily going further with his uncertainty, he asked for directions.

Spiritually, we can find ourselves wandering with only a vague idea of where we are headed. Sometimes we choose to take the chance that will run into a sign or make it safely just by following the largest crowd. In reality, we have access to the direction of God’s word, a perfect waymaker in Christ, and willing guides in other believers who have traveled the same roads many times and by their experience in the Christian life can help point us on our way. Often the path to the goal is right in front of us if we are willing to follow it and ask for help along the journey.

As we travel forward in the life of faith, we must allow God’s word to guide our steps and never be afraid to admit when we feel lost or confused. We all will have doubts and fears along the journey, but we cannot allow fear, embarrasment, or pride to prevent us from seeking the help we need.

In asking for help, we admit our limitations, and we open a door for others to use their gifts for God’s glory.

In looking to Jesus, we see a perfect path to follow. In leaning on each other and the wisdom of those who have walked this life before us, we receive the blessing of their experience, and they receive the blessing of sharing our fresh enthusiasm as we seek to walk in the way of Jesus.

Caution! Your own thoughts ahead…

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Having received a little graduation money recently, I thought it would be good to invest in a new jacket for our ever-changing Tennessee weather. I did a simple online search to see different styles and colors. After briefly looking at a couple of options, I decided to wait until after Christmas before checking local stores or making any actual purchase.

Despite my minimal attention, suddenly new jacket options appeared everywhere. The Internet “knew” I might be in the market for a new jacket, and so advertisements began to appear on my social media, in my email, and in my online shopping offerings. I had not even seen a jacket in-person, much less tried one on or told anyone else of my idea, but my single look brought seemingly unlimited options before my eyes.

A new jacket may be innocent enough, but the same pattern emerges in our own private lives and inward thoughts. You and I are always engaged in an internal dialogue happening within us. Our thoughts are pulling us and pushing us, and unless we seek to guard and guide them, these flights of thought can lead us in directions we do not even fully realize and ultimately would not wish to go.

David encountered this in 2 Samuel 11 when his lingering look at a married neighbor led him, this young woman, his adult children, his kingdom, and his godly influence down a terrible path of death and destruction. The writer of this text, guided by inspiration, carefully notes how there were decisive moments when David could have taken a different road but allowed his spiral to continue- he neglected his duty to be with his army, he refused to look away initially, he did not stop gazing but inquired her identity, he failed to dismiss his passions when his servants warned him, and on and on. Even after the initial sin of adultery, the murder, the cover-up, the late-coming guilt- each should have been a flashing warning sign, but his pride and blindness to his own sin were his downfall. Although David came experience God’s grace and forgiveness, the harm from that seemingly causal walk on his rooftop would haunt his own life and that of his family for generations.

A millennia later, the same Spirit led James to write in his epistle, “Let no one say when he is tempted, ‘I am tempted by God’; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.” (James 1:13-15)

The overthrow of our strongly-held beliefs does not happen overnight. The darkness does not need to overwhelm us with the worst of the worst when it comes to temptation; the seeds of doubt, discouragement, and our snares and hang-ups are present in each of us and if we allow them to take root and grow, we all too often find ourselves coping with our pain in unhealthy and unholy ways. The paths that lead to sin are often not striking but subtle, and such temptations prey upon us when we are most worn down and weary.

Each of us will sin and fall short of God’s glory (Rom 3:23), but the off ramps on the highway toward sin are numerous. Ultimately, we cannot blame God or other people or our circumstances for our choices- we must be self-aware enough to see our own weaknesses and humble enough to turn back to God before our sin damages and destroys the very things we hold most dear.