Whole Heart Devotion

"No temptation has seized you except what is common to man.  And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear.  But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it."             1 Corinthians 10:13 Augustus Gloop.  Violet Beauregarde.  Veruca Salt.  Mike Teavee.  Charlie Bucket.  Do these names sound familiar? If you recognize them, then you are either a product of the 70s or 80s, or have parented a child during those years.  These are the names of the five winners of the Willy Wonka Golden Tickets from the children's book Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Ronald Dahl.  If you're like me, you're more familiar with its quirky musical adaption into a movie entitled Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory . I had never watched that movie through a spiritual lens until recently.  I believe it was prompted by having read a statement ...

"So I find this law at work:  When I want to do good, evil is right there with me."  Romans 7:21 Have you ever been on a diet or trying to watch what you eat and felt as if there were thick slices of triple fudge chocolate cake and extra crispy French fries following you around all day long? Or maybe you've made a decision to rid yourself of something like gossiping, and before the sun can set, you're privy to information that just demands being passed on to your best pal. Whether it be deciding to quit such habits as nail biting or cursing, or maybe something a little more serious like smoking or drinking, the temptation to fall back into our old behavior seems to be front and center. Isn't that the way it goes?  You feel convicted to do something positive in your life, and anything and everything that could be negative keeps creeping around the corner!  It's as if those evils in our lives know exactly how to taunt and tease us . . . and ultimately...

"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."  1 Corinthians 10:13 If you've ever driven through the mountains, more specifically down a mountain, then you've probably seen a runaway truck ramp.  The Department of Transportation sporadically locates these off ramps on mountainous interstate highways in the event that large trucks lose the ability to employ their brakes.  These escape lanes are typically located on a section of highway that has had a particularly steep grade. These runaway truck lanes are comprised of multiple mounds of sand or dirt with valleys separating each mound.  Should a truck need to utilize these ramps, their momentum will be quickly halted as they bounce over the dirt mounds and where the grade is now ascending, rather than descending. I've persona...