Smell of Sin

Read: James 1:13-16

Mitchell sniffed the air as he walked into the house. “Mmm, cookies! Can I have one, Mom?”

“Not right now,” said Mom. “They need to cool, and we’re going to be having dinner soon. You can have one for dessert after we eat.”

“Okay,” said Mitchell, but he looked longingly at the cookies as they cooled on the counter. They smelled so good, and he knew they tasted even better. He was still standing there, looking at them, when his mother took another cookie sheet from the oven. “The more I smell these cookies, the more I want one,” he said. “Can’t I just have a small one?”

Mom shook her head. “It would be easier to wait if you went somewhere else instead of standing there where you can see them and smell them,” she said. “Remember the Bible verse you learned last week?”

“You mean the one about God always providing a way to escape temptation so we don’t have to give in to it?” asked Mitchell.

“That’s the one,” said Mom. “And I think the way to escape this temptation is to go outside and play.”

“But cookies aren’t bad,” said Mitchell. “It’s not a sin to eat a cookie.”

“True,” said Mom, “but if you stay around the cookies long enough, you might give in to the temptation to eat one. And then you’d be disobeying me, which is a sin.”

Mitchell sighed. “Okay, I’ll go outside.” He left the kitchen and went out the door to the garage.

He was shooting baskets in the driveway when his mother called him to come in for dinner. “You were right, Mom,” he said as he sat down at the table. “The cookies quit bothering me after I got away from them. When I got busy doing something else, I forgot all about them.”

Mom nodded. “As Christians, we can always say no when we’re tempted to sin because Jesus freed us from sin, and it has no power over us anymore. But it’s still a good idea to get away from things that we know will tempt us. Sometimes that’s the best way to avoid giving in!”

–Pamela J. Kuhn

How about you? Is it hard for you to say no to sin? When you’re tempted to do something wrong, remember that if you trust in Jesus, He has freed you from sin, and you don’t ever have to give in to it. But it’s still a good idea to avoid putting yourself in situations where you know you’ll be tempted. Ask God for guidance in knowing when to stay away from something. When you do find yourself in a tempting situation, trust Him to show you a way out.

Today’s key verse: 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 (ERV)

Today’s key thought: Avoid temptation