The Donut Shop

 

I love sweets. It’s hard for me to pass up dessert, and I often choose to eat less or no dinner in order to have room for the good stuff. I’d rather use my calories on cheesecake than cheesesteak. Is it hard for you to drive by that lit up Hot Now sign at Krispy Kreme? I try not to overindulge, but I’m not perfect. 

 

Sometimes I feel like the man who used to stop at his favorite bakery on the way in to work. He would bring in a box of donuts for his coworkers, but he made sure there was always plenty for him too. Eventually he knew he needed to go on a diet, so in order to avoid the temptation he changed his route to his office. Several months went by and he was doing great. One day an errand required that he drive right by that old bakery, and he wondered if he should pick up something for his coworkers since they were being so supportive. Maybe a donut for himself wouldn’t hurt either. He began to pray that if God wanted him to stop in the bakery, then to let him know by making the first parking spot open. And that is exactly what happened. The first spot was open, and he only had to circle the block five times first!

 

It is hard when we are tempted. Maybe your temptation is for something sweet too. Maybe it is your tongue or your thoughts. Maybe your temptation is what you put before your eyes or into your ears. James wrote, “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 (1:14-15).” Temptations are going to come well enough on their own without us going out and looking for it. Instead, we need to build safeguards to try to keep the temptation to sin from coming in. Change your commute. Hide a Facebook friend. Get rid of cable. Download software that blocks bad websites. 

 

If we do not try to escape temptation then we’ll keep circling the block until a parking spot opens and we give in. Lust gives birth to sin, and then sin gives birth to death. Not right away, of course; this only happens when sin has used us and abused us. 

 

Temptation will come, but the good news is that we are promised a way out. I Corinthians 10:13 says that with every temptation there is a way of escape so that we do not have to give in. Instead of looking for an open parking spot, lets look for a way of escape.