I can resist anything except temptation

I am writing this on the day after Christmas. I had sweets for the first time in months. Why? Because they were there. They were everywhere. I can resist anything except temptation.

No big deal for one day. My wife told me a strategy for the holidays going in. “Enjoy yourself for one day. It won’t kill you. Then, back on the wagon.” Not bad advice.

I keep a bowl of apples in the kitchen. Two or three times a day I grab one and eat it. Why? Because they are there. If it were a bowl of M&Ms I would eat a handful of those. I would eat a handful every time I walked through the kitchen. I can resist everything except temptation.

There is a saying in discipleship: if you can avoid the temptation, you can avoid the sin. Temptation is not a sin and sometimes you cannot avoid it. But, when you can, you do well to do so. If you can avoid the temptation, you can avoid the sin.