EXPLORE IT - 1 Corinthians 10:13

1 Corinthians 10:13  No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.

God never gives us more than we can handle.  This popular phrase finds its foundation in our passage this week.  The way our culture tends to think of this passage is that whatever temptation comes our way, we will be able to bear up under the burden and will be able to resist the temptation.  This is not what Paul intends in this passage.

Paul begins this passage by reassuring us that the temptations we experience are also experienced by others around us, no temptation is uniquely ours.  Sometimes we feel that no one can possibly understand what we are going through, but Paul encourages us to realize that we are not alone.  We are not alone because there are others around us who are being or have been tempted in the same way we are currently struggling.  But we are also not alone because God says, “He will provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.”  We do not have to figure a way out, God provides a way out.

Be encouraged!  Whatever temptation you are struggling with, others have walked that path before and God is by your side!  Seek Him for His strength and His path out of the temptation.  With Jesus, we have victory over sin and death! (1 Corinthians 15:56-57)

Blessings,
Pastor Amy