A Way of Escape

1 Cor. 10:13

No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.

It is amazing how people, whether they were or are the Israelites in the wilderness, church members, or family members, can have the same input but yet all respond differently. In Israel's case, they all ate the same spiritual food, drank the same spiritual drink, and drank from the spiritual rock Christ Jesus. Yet with all that great input and with many miracles including their amazing deliverance from Egypt, most of them were not pleasing to God. In the same way people can sing the same worship songs, hear the same sermon, and attend the same small group and Bible study, yet still be affected in the same way. In fact what people hear as the main point of a sermon can vary greatly. It depends a great deal on our own personal circumstances, what we are inputting, what we discuss with others, and how much we allow the Word to have its way in our lives. 

Paul follows this up 6:1-5 with an encouragement to heed the examples of the wilderness walkers who were idolaters, grumblers, and the ones who put Christ to the test. Their lives are recorded for us to learn from their mistakes not to repeat their mistakes. Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall. Peter says in 2 Pet. 1:3-10, Make every effort to add to your faith virtue, to virtue, knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control steadfastness, to steadfastness godliness, to godliness brotherly affection, and to brotherly affection to love, and later, Be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election. For if these qualities are yours you will not fall. We need to take heed, to use our brains, to look objectively at our spiritual lives, to seek Him first, and to be more concerned about Jesus than friends or even the world. 

But I often think that I will always fall. I am to weak. But v. 13 says that I don't have to. It is my choice. He will provide a way of escape! He has promised, and His promises are unfailing. His divine power has granted to us all things pertaining to life and godliness through the knowledge of Him who has called us to His own glory and excellence. By which He has granted to us His precious and very great promises that we may become partakers of the divine nature having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. We have not just the promise in v. 13 but a plethora in the Word. I need to find them and cling to them with all I have. I need to keep my eyes focused on Him, the One who can keep me from falling into a pit of sin.

Father,

Thank You for this great promise today. How glorious! Bring it to my mind often, as often as I am ready to slip and fall.

In Jesus name,

Amen