Sin's Trojan Horse: April 24th Devotional

Sin’s Trojan Horse

Genesis 3:6

April 24^th Devotional

 

   Most of the time history is simply about facts and dates. Other times history is rooted in a mix of truth and mythology. This particular day in history is a combination of fact and fiction, legend and lies, embellishment and established truth. Most of the information concerning the Trojan War is found in Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey (which are far from non-fiction). Legend has it that around the year 1194 BC Paris of Troy took the King of Sparta's (Menelaus) wife named Helen. Paris refused to give her back. This event sparked a great military response from the Greeks. The Greeks sent their best soldiers over the Aegean Sea via THOUSANDS of ships to Asia Minor. They were commanded by the famous General Agamemnon. This war would cause the names of Achilles and Odysseus to become famous legends. The Battle of Troy was a siege on the city that lasted ten long years with little progress by the Greeks. The Greeks devised a plan to trick the citizens of Troy. On this day, 1184 BC the Greeks constructed the "Trojan Horse" and placed it at the gates of Troy. The Greeks then entered their ships and pretended to sail off. The people of Troy thought that the Greeks surrendered and that the horse was a gift of victory. The citizens brought it into the city and celebrated. Little did they know what was inside the horse. That night the Greek soldiers, who were hidden in the horse, exited and started to sack the city and open the gates for the Greek army to return. Thus the Greeks found victory over Troy.

   Most of this account is probably speculation at best but it still makes for a fun story. But there is a spiritual application that IS NOT speculation. As Christians, we need to be aware of Trojan horses in our life. The goal of a Trojan horse is to look innocent or unattractive while designed for our destruction. One of the Trojan horses we battle with is sin. Sin does not always look ugly on the outside. Sin does not always scream out "I'm a sin." Sin offers temporal pleasure (Hebrews 11:25) with an eternal consequence. Sometimes sin looks good. Genesis 3:6 says “When the woman saw that the tree was good for food and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate.” The text makes it clear that the forbidden fruit in the Garden looked desirable to Eve. Let's be honest, sin sometimes looks good. We would lie if we denied that. BUT SIN'S outward attraction is nothing more than a poison that destroys us. We need to show caution and realize that just because it looks good or convenient does not mean it is indeed good. Let us have a spirit of discernment. As a child of God, we cannot afford to allow "Trojan Horses" in our life. They are created to harm and separate. Sin always takes you further than you want to go, keeps you longer than you want to stay, and costs you more than you want to pay.