‘Abstain from all appearance of evil.’ 1 Thessalonians 5:22

I overheard a conversation from a group of teen age boys who were slowly wheeling their bikes up a hill. It went something like this.

“Has anyone got a cigarette?”

The rest of the boys looked around each other then one of them said “Billy you know that none of us smoke!” They all burst out laughing. Billy then proceeded to say

”Ok, ok I was just checking! Anyway, today I have decided that I am going to try one. And no Alfie, don’t you go bleating to my mum ‘cos I know how big your mouth is!”

I felt like saying ‘No Billy don’t try it’ and ‘Yes Alfie, run bleating to his mum!’ but I didn’t as I could not be sure they were not just having some banter. Besides I didn’t want to suffer possible verbal street abuse.

It did get me thinking though about how calculating we are sometimes as sinners. I have noticed that when a toddler is doing something they know is wrong, they go out of sight, they go quiet. My youngest child kept asking me for a banana that was on the kitchen surface where she could reach it. She had been told by various family members that it was rotten and was waiting to be thrown away. Later that evening I noticed how quiet she was and quietly popped my head quietly around the kitchen door. Immediately upon seeing me she handed me the banana, half mushed from her attempt to bite it with the words ‘here you go!’

The bible says ‘abstain from all appearance of evil.’ The Easy to Read Version (ERV) states it more plainly ‘and stay away from everything that is evil.’

Maybe that is the key, it sounds so simple but oh so hard which is, to stay away from evil. If you have a problem with cigarettes only go shopping with people who you know won’t allow you to buy them. Or if the problem is sweets (I raise my own hand slowly), don’t keep change in your pockets. Basically don’t foster to the environment that will allow sinning to become easy.

But in all things remember,

‘The only temptations that you have are the same temptations that all people have. But you can trust God. He will not let you be tempted more than you can bear. But when you are tempted, God will also give you a way to escape that temptation. Then you will be able to endure it.’ 1 Corinthians 10:13

Have a beautiful day.

Jimmy Needham sings his song ‘Forgiven and loved.’ Click on the picture to listen.