It was a first for me. I have grown fond of Oswald Chambers, as you can tell by scrolling down. I mean, I have read him very irregularly for three or four years now, so it was a surprise to me to come upon a day where I wasn't simply confused by him. Usually, I am either really blessed by Chambers or really confused by Chambers. Today, I read and found myself in complete disagreement with everything he said!

Then I read it two more times. I finally agreed with him.

I don't really want to copy the entire thing here, but you need to have a context.

Some of Ozzie's statements seem to flat out contradict the verse he references until you understand the entirety of his entry, which even then has to be clarified by close assessment. He seems to be saying that Christ (and subsequently Christians) was tempted in an entirely different way from the rest of humanity. He says all this while referencing Hebrews 4:15, which states that He was "... tempted as we are, yet without sin." I think, after careful dissection, that the point he is making is that the purpose for the devil and the situation and effect for the children of the burning heart is greatly different from simple temptation of the unrighteous.

The fallen are in complete despair. Regardless of how closely they know this, every circumstance to sin is simply an opportunity to continue in self-destruction. They are in the same place either way, there is no change made, period. For the disciple however, the devil has greater intentions, for the stakes become much much higher. For those following God, a temptation is an opportunity to put down what is valuable, what we are supposed to be characterized by, and what gives us and our lives worth. It is an opportunity to change our point of view and see things differently.

This entry went from contradictory of scripture to extremely personally applicable to my life today! It is so important to understand all the aspects of falling into a conscious personal decision to sin in an individual situation. Our life focus, worth, and personality are all at stake. Of course, this only makes sense if a follower is actually following. But that's another story, albeit a precursor to this lesson.

I was blessed.