I have to admit that it can be mind-boggling when I learn something new that changes the dynamics toward understanding something I have been accustomed to knowing nearly all my life. Especially, if it involves āre-thinkingā parts of a fairly adaptable āmemorizationā from the church such as Psalm 23, The Apostleās Creed, and even the Lordās Prayer. One such encounter led our church into a full-hour discussion as our Sunday School lesson. It was part of the Lordās Prayer found in Matthew 6:13 , āAnd do not lead us into temptationā¦.ā What, exactly, does it really mean to ānot lead us into temptation?ā I found is that it does not literally mean ākeep me from being tempted.ā The key word here is ātemptationā which means ā trial ā or ā proving .ā It has a stronger, spiritual meaning than a mere whimsical approach such as āhelp me resist the temptation to eat another slice of cake!ā It also puts to rest that God is āmessing with usā to see if we ātake the baitā and choose to sin....
Clever, Missouri (Christian County)