Thought for Friday, April 20th

A Series of Spiritual Ponderings

With Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn

This here series may seem a bit peculiar to some of ya’ll folks: but then life itself can be a tad bit peculiar some of the time.  Over the next few days the writer of these here thoughts has decided to take a gander at some spiritual insights from the perspective of Tom and Huck, a couple of characters from Mr. Mark Twains novels.

Next

The Power of Temptation

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

Matthew 6:13

Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.

Matthew 26:41

   Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall. There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

1 Corinthians 10:12-13

Quote of the Day

“Moralists and philosophers have adjudged those who throw temptation in the way of the erring, equally guilty with those who are thereby led into evil.” – Mark Twain

Today’s Thoughts and Insights:

Now, temptation is one of them there things that is ‘bout as  common to man or boy as the need to go a swimmin’ on a terrible hot day:  it’s just one of them there things that can’t be avoided, and one that any feller of stable mind and able body is bound near to encounter with a more than tolerable degree of frequency.

A body who pretends they ain’t never been tempted is a feller who wouldn’t know truth if it hit him on the head and poked him in the eye.

In fact some days it seems the more I try not to go and do something I know I shouldn’t the more of a hankerin’ I find I have to do it.

As Mr. Mark Twain done said, “To promise not to do a thing is the surest way in the world to make a body want to go and do that very thing.”

Now, I reckon me and my bestist friend Huck Finn is most certainly no strangers to this here notion of temptations.  I reckon some days if we didn’t find ourselves facing one powerful temptation after another – we would probably not even think we had gotten ourselves up out of bed.

One of these days when I get up to Heaven, I’m gonna ask God why He done went and made temptation such a common annoyance to us more feeble and sinful souls.

And I reckon He’s gonna look me right in the eye and say, ‘Tom Sawyer ain’t no temptation that you done come up against that you couldn’t have turned away from if’n only you would have wanted too.’  And I be reckon’n He is most probably right, cause He, for a certainty, always is.

My friend Ben Harper said one day if we weren’t never tempted, he didn’t reckon we would have no way of knowing what caliber of character we was capable of having.  I asked him when he went and got so smart and he just shrugged his shoulders and walked away.

But I been ponderin’ on Ben’s words and I reckon there is a lot more sense to them than I care to be admittin’ some days.

I suppose temptation comes so we can see what kind of person we are, what our strengths and weaknesses might be and to let us know just what we need God’s help the most at in our daily livin’.

Today’s Prayer

Father, some days it almost seems temptations are about as common as the air that I breath.  Though I can’t live without air, sometimes I feel I could do with a little less temptation.  But since I know I will face it – may I be bold and strong and courageous and may I overcome by the blood of the lamb, the word of my testimony about who you are and what you have done for me and may I always give you my all and everything so that when I am too weak you can be my strength.

“There are several good protections against temptation, but the surest is cowardice.”

– Mark Twain

“I’m forgiven, because you were forsaken;

I’m accepted, you were condemned:

I’m alive and well, your spirit is within me,

Because you died and rose again.

Amazing love, How can it be

That you my King would die for me?

Amazing love, I know it’s true:

And it’s my joy to honor you,

In all I do, let me honor you. “

-  Lyrics from ‘Amazing Love’ by Billy James Foote