“These things happened as examples for us, so that we will not crave evil things as they did. So do not be idolaters, as some of them were. As it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play.” And let us not be immoral, as some of them were, and twenty-three thousand died in a single day. And let us not put Christ to the test, as some of them did, and were destroyed by snakes. And do not complain, as some of them did, and were killed by the destroying angel…..So let the one who thinks he is standing be careful that he does not fall. No trial has overtaken you that is not faced by others. And God is faithful: He will not let you be tried beyond what you are able to bear, but with the trial will also provide a way out so that you may be able to endure it. So then, my dear friends, flee from idolatry.” 1 Corinthians 10:6-10, 12-14 NET https://bible.com/bible/107/1co.10.6-12.NET
God wants us to overcome temptation. He wants us to obey Him successfully to glorify Him in the world by demonstrating the wisdom of His holiness. We prove He is transforming us into His image as we obey His commands and live according to His will in a world corrupt by the disobedience of God. What temptations do Christians face that keep us from reflecting God in the world? Paul lists several: craving evil things, idolatry, immorality, testing God, and complaining. The world without Christ does these things making those in Christ more evident when we are not living as the world lives. When loving Jesus and obeying His commands are our first priorities, we keep ourselves from pursuing evil things and idolatry. The things of the world and its idols are those men use to define themselves to make themselves feel more important than others. Likewise, the pleasures of this world are pursued by pagans gratifying their sinful nature and causing all kinds of immorality. When we don’t have what we want, we complain and demand from God that He do what we think we deserve, testing Him, thus bringing about His judgment upon us. We are servants of God. We do best when we focus most on knowing Him and making Him known in the world through our obedience to His commands and by the word of our testimony, helping others see and hear the Good News of God’s love through Jesus our Savior.
