Sinful Longing

TITLE: Sinful Longing
DATE:  May 15, 2019
TEXT: 1 John 1:9 -  (ESV) -  9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
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If I read through Scripture correctly it would seem that the devil succeeds best in his temptations when He makes something seem so desirable a person will do just about anything to possess that forbidden item  I believe the truth of that statement can be found in various familiar stories from Scripture. Amongst those stories world be:

• Adam and Eve giving up everything for the forbidden fruit.
• David giving up his working relationship with the Lord for Bathsheba.
• Achan who gambled away his  life, his family and short-circuited the conquest of the Holy Land to steal some prize booty from Jericho.

Now you would be wrong if you believed such temptation ended with the deaths of the Apostles. As proof I submit the story of five-year-old Iziah Hall of Grand Rapids, Michigan. It was early Sunday when Iziah awoke. He was hungry, really hungry.

Now this is where it gets interesting.  Hungry Iziah saw his grandmother was still asleep. The situation was hopeless….
Until Iziah thought of something. He thought of something he knew he really shouldn’t do. He called 911 and asked the dispatcher “Can you bring me some McDonald’s?”

 The dispatcher was shocked at the request and declined… and then sent Officer Dan Patterson to do a wellness check on the boy.

As the officer traveled to see the five-year-old, he realized he was going past McDonald’s and he stopped to pick up some grub for the lad.

When the Officer, food in hand, knocked on Iziah’s door, he saw the door open ever so slowly, until Iziah could stick his head out., With a repentant heart, Iziah whispered, “My grandma's gonna be so mad (at what I’ve done), can you please go away?"

Now the story you’ve just heard has gone viral and brought a smile to the faces of many. But the truth is, this story, is a simple illustration of how repentance is supposed to work,

As human beings, each day we become the target of Satan’s temptations. Some of those spiritual seductions will work and we will see our hearts longing for that which is not acceptable to the Lord. All too often we follow the sinful yearnings of our heart and we sin.

But that is not the end of the story. Because of our Savior, because of His life, His suffering, death and resurrecting, we who believe are forgiven. With a repentant heart, we echo Iziah as we say to the Lord, “Can’t You please take this away?”

As John says, this is exactly what the Lord does, “ he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, we are weak and improper in many of our heart’s longings. Help us become properly focused on that which is good and pleasing to You.  As  to our wanderings, please straighten our paths.  In Jesus’ Name I Pray. Amen.

The article which served as inspiration for today’s devotion was written for Newser by Polly Davis Doig on April 21, 2019, That article can be found at: https://www.newser.com/story/274170/5-year-old-kid-really-wanted-mcdonalds-called-911.html

The music which introduces and concludes our devotions was written by Guy Baumann. He along with three of his brothers perform on the album: The Baumann Brothers which may be ordered here: http://thebaumannbrothers.com/index.html