MON 14 AUG
EXPOSING DECEPTION
READ James 1:1-18 Jonah 2:4
FOCUS ‘But your own evil longings tempt you. They lead you on and drag you away,’ James 1:14
GOING DEEPER
lifewithlucas.co.uk/ goingdeeper
The frequent flier madness that occasionally takes over my life means there are literally times when I wake up in the middle of the night in a hotel, and as I peer up at the ceiling, for a few moments I have no idea which country I am in. Jet lag has disorientated me, temporarily disabling my memory, and the darkened room offers me no clue. And I don’t even know where the elusive light switch is. More than once I have felt my way around the walls, so I can flip the switch and check where I am on the planet. A steadfast commitment to sin will always produce something similar in our lives. Deception is married to rebellion, and when we join Jonah on a jog away from God, we end up losing our ability to see straight. And that deception is a thick fog, hard to shift. Perhaps there was a residue of it in Jonah’s complaint that he had been banished – driven away – from God’s sight (v.4). That’s just not true. Jonah was a fugitive, not an exile. It’s ironic that the man who ran a marathon away from God then complained he had been rejected. Turning away from God takes us into the twilight zone when our faults are someone else’s fault, our rebelliousness can be rationalised, and what are outright sins seem sensible. James makes it clear: when we go astray, we are dragged off course by our own evil longings. May God help us to see the truth about ourselves, especially when we are quoting Scripture, or even blaming Him for our poor choices! Prayer: Spirit of truth, lead me and keep me in all truth. Amen. 45
