Thursday Devo 13th - NOT LIKE THE BOOK. Book reports are no fun, usually. After all, you have to read a book thats a bazillion pages long about somebody who lived a long time ago and said things like, I wot not what wot I thought I wot. And the whole time youre reading, youre saying, Huh? If you havent already, someday youll have to read a book like David Copperfield. Now, that wouldnt be so bad if it was about that magician guy who made the Statue of Liberty disappear (dont worry, he put it back). But its not about that David Copperfield. Its about some kid in England and was written by Charles Dickens, the same writer who created such characters as Scrooge, Tiny Tim, and Oliver Twist. But wait! Several David Copperfield movies have been made. You could just rent one of those movies, watch it, then do your book report. That way you wouldnt have to read the long, boring book, right? Wrong. That may sound like a good idea, but the problem is that if you do a book report on a movie, youre lying (youre even putting your lie on paper!), and lying is a sin. And movies based on books always skip a lot of stuff; youd miss some important things (things that might end up on a test later). It would be tempting, wouldnt it? But thats just the point. A lot of times temptation to do wrong comes in the form of a shortcut. You know, Do it this way; itll be easier, or itll be quicker, or itll be cheaper. Thats what the devil tried with Jesus in the wilderness of Judea (Matthew 4:6-8). He offered instant glory and power to Jesus if only Jesus would worship him. But Jesus didnt fall for it. He knew that all glory and power would be given to him after his death and crucifixion. He resisted the temptation to take a shortcut. In the same way, you will often face the temptation to take a shortcut. You may be tempted to cheat on a test (instead of studying) in order to pass a class. You may be tempted to swipe a few dollars from your moms purse (instead of saving your allowance) in order to get a new CD. The devil may whisper, Come on, itll be easier or Itll be quicker or Itll be cheaper. But dont be fooled. Dont take a shortcut if it means making a wrong choice. Because when you do, youre the one who ends up on the short end of the stick. REFLECT: Are you ever tempted to do wrong because it seems easier, quicker, or cheaper? Jesus said, The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose the easy way. But the gateway to life is small, and the road is narrow, and only a few ever find it (Matthew 7:13-14). In other words, most people choose the easy way the shortcut but those shortcuts lead to hell. Be alert this week (and always) for temptations to take shortcuts. PRAY: God, help me to resist temptation, even when it comes in the form of a shortcut. *** Luke 4:5-8 KJV And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it. If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.
Posted on: Sun, 16 Mar 2014 05:12:38 +0000
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