Sin and Temptation: Week 6, Day 1

Day 1: Ooops!

Two brothers were always fine with getting sent to their room as punishment because a huge, old fruit tree was just outside their window. So the boys would close their door, quietly raise the window, and climb down the tree. Then, after an hour of playing in the fields behind the house, they would climb back up the tree, back into their room, then call downstairs and ask Mom if they had suffered enough.

One day the boys overheard Dad talking about cutting the tree down. He said, “It hasn’t had any fruit in years.” The boys panicked! Their escape route was about to be destroyed!

That afternoon they put their money together and bought a sack of apples and black thread from the grocery store. After dark, they spent an hour tying apples all over the tree. The following day they waited eagerly for their Dad to discover the fruit. When he saw it, he shouted to his wife, “Mary! You’re not going to believe this. It is a miracle. That old fruit tree is covered with apples.”

When the boys heard their Dad, they started high-fiving each other, but then they listened to the Dad finish his sentence. Finally, he said, “Yep! It’s a miracle all right considering that this is a pear tree!”

Those boys thought they could pull one over on their poor parents, but parents are smarter than you think. Just when you think you got away with it, something happens, and all is revealed, and you are left with the consequences for the poor decision you made.

I tried to get away with a thousand things growing up as a kid, and my parents caught me doing 80% of it. My mom told me that every night she would pray that whatever my brother and I were doing, God would allow her to catch us. God answered her prayer way too often.

We go to such great lengths to try to get away with something that we shouldn’t be doing in the first place. So why do we do that? Maybe it’s the adrenaline rush. Maybe it’s because we know our parents would disapprove of what we want to do, which makes it even more tempting. Maybe it’s because we are sinners who want to do the right thing but often end up doing the wrong thing.

You might get one by your parents from time to time, but you can never get past the watchful eye of God. He knows your heart, and He sees your actions. He is watching you not to slam you but to help you have the best life possible.

Do you really want what God wants for your life? Do you really trust that His way is the best, or do you think you know better than God? The Bible says that there is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end, it leads to death.

Trying to get away with some sin or rebellion never ends up the way we hoped it would. Trust God. Trust His plan for your life.

Time Out:

Is there any area of your life where you are trying to pull one over on your parents or God?

Do you trust God with your dating relationships, with your friends, and with your choices and decisions?

Look up Proverbs 14:12. What does that verse mean to you?'

Look up Ephesians 5:8-13 and answer the following questions.

How do children of the light live according to verses 9-10?

According to these verses, many people try to get away with stuff in the darkness, but what does verse 13 say will happen to them?

Look at Ephesians 5:15. The Bible tells us to be careful how we live. Don’t live as the unwise but as the wise. What is the difference between the wise person and the fool?