Our Daily Bread Military EditionSample
Forbidden Fruit
In Galveston, Texas, a hotel on the shore of the Gulf of Mexico put this notice in each room:
No Fishing From The Balcony
Yet every day, hotel guests threw their lines into the waters below. Then the management decided to take down the signs—and the fishing stopped!
Augustine (354–430), a prominent theologian in the early church, reflected on his own attraction to the forbidden. In his Confessions he wrote, “There was a pear tree near our vineyard, laden with fruit. One stormy night we rascally youths set out to rob it . . . . We took off a huge load of pears—not to feast upon ourselves, but to throw them to the pigs, though we ate just enough to have the pleasure of the forbidden fruit. They were nice pears, but it was not the pears that my wretched soul coveted, for I had plenty better at home. I picked them simply to become a thief. . . . The desire to steal was awakened simply by the prohibition of stealing.”
Romans 7:7-13 sets forth the truth illustrated by Augustine’s experience: Human nature is inherently rebellious. Give us a law and we will see it as a challenge to break it. But Jesus forgives our lawbreaking and gives us the Holy Spirit. He imparts a new desire and ability so that our greatest pleasure becomes bringing pleasure to God. —Haddon Robinson
Why do we keep on trying
The fare of this world’s sin
When God has set before us
The joy of Christ within? —Branon
To master temptation, let Christ master you.
In Galveston, Texas, a hotel on the shore of the Gulf of Mexico put this notice in each room:
No Fishing From The Balcony
Yet every day, hotel guests threw their lines into the waters below. Then the management decided to take down the signs—and the fishing stopped!
Augustine (354–430), a prominent theologian in the early church, reflected on his own attraction to the forbidden. In his Confessions he wrote, “There was a pear tree near our vineyard, laden with fruit. One stormy night we rascally youths set out to rob it . . . . We took off a huge load of pears—not to feast upon ourselves, but to throw them to the pigs, though we ate just enough to have the pleasure of the forbidden fruit. They were nice pears, but it was not the pears that my wretched soul coveted, for I had plenty better at home. I picked them simply to become a thief. . . . The desire to steal was awakened simply by the prohibition of stealing.”
Romans 7:7-13 sets forth the truth illustrated by Augustine’s experience: Human nature is inherently rebellious. Give us a law and we will see it as a challenge to break it. But Jesus forgives our lawbreaking and gives us the Holy Spirit. He imparts a new desire and ability so that our greatest pleasure becomes bringing pleasure to God. —Haddon Robinson
Why do we keep on trying
The fare of this world’s sin
When God has set before us
The joy of Christ within? —Branon
To master temptation, let Christ master you.
Scripture
About this Plan
This special military edition of Our Daily Bread will take a look at some of life’s biggest questions. It is our prayer that you will turn to God’s Word to learn more about His Son Jesus. In Him we find real hope and meaning for life. We find a mission bigger than ourselves.
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