Daily Devotion: Not as Safe as It Might Seem

So 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 to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. Genesis 3:6

Matt Bell thought himself lucky when a fellow worker discovered the Civil War cannonball at the construction site where both of them worked. 

The cannonball weighed in around 32 pounds. To stop it from rolling all over, Bell used his vehicle's seatbelt to strap it down snugly. As he drove, a desire to learn more about the artifact took him to the Civil War museum close to his home in Hot Springs, Arkansas.

At the museum he was surprised to learn the relic was not a solid Civil War cannonball.

Not knowing exactly what he had, Bell drove home and called the police. The police called the Little Rock Air Force Base. The Air Force sent out a squad to investigate. They soon discovered that

1. the device wasn't solid; it had a hollow core;

2. the hollow core wasn't empty: it was still packed with explosives;

3. the device Bell had been carrying -- the device he had strapped into his truck wasn't a cannonball -- it was a landmine that was set to explode when pressure was placed on it.

The Air Force personnel immediately evacuated 20 homes in Bell neighborhood. Then they took the mine to the Garland County landfill where it was destroyed.

Right now you're probably saying, "Well, that was an interesting story, and I'm glad everything worked out all right, but what does this story have to do with my daily walk with the Lord?"

Good question. Here's the answer: the story of Bell with his cannonball and Eve with her forbidden fruit(see verse above) have many similarities. For example, both Eve and Bell looked upon their own particular item and found it to be a delight to the eye. But there's more. In their ignorance, both grossly misjudged the danger of their item. Finally, both took that dangerous item and brought it into their lives.

The great difference in the two stories is this: Bell didn't die because of his action, while Adam and Eve, along with their descendants, did.

Oh, there's one other thing that needs to be said. Bell's story is also our story. On a regular basis this sinful world offers us things which seem to be safe, but are not. More often than not those things appear to be fascinating, interesting and harmless.

With these dangers all around, our daily prayer ought to be in harmony with the Savior who taught us to ask that God should "lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil" (Matthew 6:13).

Only the all-knowing God can say what is good, right and safe for us. Having seen His love for us in Jesus' great sacrifice, we ought to trust Him and be sure He will keep safe those who pray, "His will, not ours, be done."

THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, lead us away from temptation and deliver us from evil. This we ask in the Name of our Savior who gave His life that we might have life. Amen. 

By Pastor Ken Klaus