tempted

by

Tempted With Files On My Desktop

The other day I wrote about cleaning up my computer desktop. Just a few days in, I’m already tempted to leave files on my home screen.

When I cleaned my desktop, it looked so good I just had to admire it for a while. I never wanted to leave another file on the screen again.

But a few days later, I find that my desktop is the natural, easiest place to put files.

For example, I had just downloaded a recording of my sermon from Sunday and it landed on my home screen. The recording needed editing before I could post it on the website. Naturally, I wanted it right in front of me to remind me I needed to do that.

Fortunately I had time right away, did my editing and then posted it to our site.

But then I had two files on my desktop – the unedited version and the one that was posted. I could have trashed the original download, but I thought I’d keep it just in case, while the edited version needed to be uploaded to an external hard drive for storing.

That involved another step which I wasn’t sure I wanted to do right then.

But as I looked at my clean screen, I didn’t want it to be blemished so I quickly put the file where it was to go and trashed the original.

My desktop was pristine again.

But for how long? How long will it be before I’m in a hurry or won’t know where to put a file or folder, defaulting to let it just sit on my desktop?

And when one things sits there, soon there will be more. The more there are, the harder it is to clear that screen.

It’s like the episode of the “I Love Lucy” show where Lucy was working on an assembly line in a chocolate factory. Her job was to move chocolates from a conveyor belt into boxes.

The machine started off slowly, but quickly sped up. The chocolates started coming too fast for Lucy. She was frantic and tried different tactics to keep up.

She first put her arm down on the conveyor belt to pile the chocolates up but that just made a mess. Then she started to dump them into her apron to clear the conveyor belt and catch up.  And then she started to eat the chocolates.

In the end, she was doing everything. She had chocolates backed up, her mouth was full of them, she had chocolate all over her face and her apron was overflowing.

What a mess!

It was an chaotic scene. … But that’s also how my desktop gets filled back up.

I love how it looks right now. But I just know the conveyor belt is going to speed up with all those files.

Here’s the thing: Sin works like that in our lives. When we sin once, it’s easy to confess it before God. But sometimes we sin and are not prepared to confess it, often because we are ashamed or still upset. So the sin remains. Then we sin in another area and let that go as well – more unconfessed sin. Pretty soon we are looking like a scene out of “I love Lucy” but with our sin instead of chocolate. Keep short accounts of your sins; deal with each one right away. Don’t let sin build up in your life and hinder your relationship with God.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What do you do to keep your desktop clear, or your soul right with God? Leave your comments below.

by

I Just Renewed My Muscles

I finally have some life back in my muscles. I am feeling better than I have in a long time on the ice.

It’s sort of like Popeye in reverse. Remember that cartoon character? Popeye would get beaten down, usually by Brutus, and just when it looked like Brutus would finish him off, Popeye would say, “That’s all I can stands; I can’t stands no more.”

Then he would pull a can of spinach – yes, a can of spinach – right out of his shirt.

It’s only through the magic of television that he could hide that spinach there.

But once he ate that spinach, he got new strength and “he was strong to the finish cause he ate his spinach. He’s Popeye the sailer man (toot toot)” … You have to see the cartoon.

I did the opposite. I didn’t eat anything to give me renewed strength; I cut something out.

Back in November, I wrote a post about how my muscles were really giving me some pain when I played hockey. I was trying to figure out what was causing it – maybe medication, maybe my heart, maybe sugar. You can read that post here.

I decided to try cutting out sugar … well, not cut it out entirely; we were just about to head into the Christmas season.

My plan was to reduce sugar by cutting out snacks and junk food.

It’s been two months, and I said I would report back on this topic. This is what I discovered …

I dropped some weight over these two months – about eight pounds to be exact – and I didn’t do anything other than reduce my sugar intake.

Yes, I still have my hot wings and a can of Dr. Pepper on Saturday nights, but that’s pretty much the only time I have pop or fried food all week. … I’ve tried to cut out french fries as much as possible.

I purposely didn’t try to exercise any more than I had, so the weight loss is due solely to the diet change.

Here is something else: I feel good. I actually want to remember how I feel right now because that might keep me going when I get tempted to get back into sugar.

The other thing that seems to have changed is my hockey playing. I was experiencing muscle pain and fatigue in a huge way. That pain and fatigue is gone.

Now, I’m not sure if it’s because I’m not ingesting sugar like I was or if it has to do with me having a few less pounds to carry around on my skates.

But I will take that mystery and live with it.

The last several times playing hockey have been a treat for me. I don’t feel like an old man out on the ice.

I feel more like Popeye – strong to the finish. I like how this feels, and it’s way better than the momentary enjoyment of a chocolate bar.

Here’s the thing: After you have confessed your sin, take a moment to think about how you feel, how close you feel to God, how grateful to God you are, how you want to please Him with your life. Then remember that feeling because you will be tempted to sin again. And when you’re tempted, remember how you feel pleasing God with your life. That may keep you from falling to sin again.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What do you need to add to or cut out of your life? Leave your comments below.