Got Worms?

The serpent said to the woman, “You won’t surely die, for God knows that in the day you eat it, your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” Genesis 3:4-5 Heard a friend of mine quoting "an anonymous source" (couldn't remember who said it): All the Devil's apples got worms! We all laughed (and wrote it down. Good, clear, pithy statements are rare enough that we should share them when we find them.) I immediately began to think about apple polishing. No matter how carefully the outside of the apple is buffed, no matter how artistically displayed, if it's got a worm, the inside is being corrupted. Nobody wants to be the butt of the "Worst Kind of Worm To Find in an Apple" joke. (A half of one. Rimshot.) No, the flavor and value of any fruit is compromised by the presence of the vermiform, and the devil always makes it first priority to insert a corrupting influence. But then it occurred to me. These weren't the Devil's apples, but God's! (And yes, I know the Bible doesn't say "apples", but "fruit". Go pick your nits on your own time.) In The Screwtape Letters, CS Lewis notes that the Devil doesn't create anything but misery. In this case, he doesn't even possess anything. He only suggests. He suggests that God (!) is deceptive and is actually withholding something, and implies that Eve would be better off by choosing rebellion. We all know how well THAT worked out, don't we? No, this worm wasn't even in the "apple", it was in the Trust/Faith of Eve. She was tempted by the peculiar idea that somehow God wasn't good - enough. This particular weapon in the Devil's arsenal was so effective, he still uses it, and hardly ever has to use another one. Every time we face temptation, at it's heart it's the same old same old. "This moment of pleasure and self-indulgence will be far better than the result of resisting. If God didn't want us to do it, He shouldn't have made it so enjoyable." It's that kind of bogus thinking that keeps us destroying our lives with the deeds of the flesh instead of enriching them with the fruit of the Spirit. (Galatians 5:19-23 Keep up, people.) But I am afraid that somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve in his craftiness, so your minds might be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. 2 Corinthians 11:3 Everything the Devil tempts us with has the Worm of Rebellion in it. You're probably thinking, "But I don't feel rebellious!" Despite what Obi Wan and Yoda preach, your feelings are never the best guide to truth. If you are doing something God said "NO!" about, that Worm is already corrupting the most precious thing in life - your relationship with the Lord. Break out the only effective spiritual pesticide: Devotion to Christ by Faith. And no matter how strong that temptation is, remember: All the Devil's apples got worms!