John was a farmer. One hot day, he was disking — going back and forth across the field in his big tractor, turning over the soil so that it would be loose and fine and ready for planting.
That day, at break time, John went over to watch his farming partner digging a ditch with a backhoe. The big machine dug into the ground, scooping out huge piles of soil. As John watched, he spotted a couple of snakes. He was curious to find out what kind of snakes they were, so he picked them up and put them inside the toolbox on his tractor. Then he went back to work.
John kept working for several hours. Meanwhile, unknown to him, inside the closed tool box, which was near to the tractor’s warm, noisy engine, the snakes were becoming
extremely unhappy.
At supper time, John parked his tractor in the shop. Then he called to the other workers to come see the snakes he had caught. As he lifted the lid of the toolbox, immediately the snakes shot up out of the box, hissing angrily. John jumped down from the tractor, his heart beating wildly. He knew to get away as quickly as possible from snakes that were so angry!
Children, what would you think of someone playing with a dangerous snake? I’m sure you would say that is not a smart thing to do, but that it is smart to stay as far away from dangerous snakes as you can! The Bible teaches us that Satan is dangerous, and it calls him a serpent, which is a snake (Revelation 12:99And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. (Revelation 12:9)). Just as it isn’t smart to play with a dangerous snake, it isn’t smart to play around with sin, which Satan wants you to do and tries to get you to do. If you think that you can “try out” sin just a little bit, to see what it is like, you will quickly find that it is far too powerful and dangerous for you. God’s Word, the Bible, always teaches us to “depart from evil” (Proverbs 3:77Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord, and depart from evil. (Proverbs 3:7)), not to play around with it. It makes this even more clear in Proverbs 4:14-15,14Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men. 15Avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, and pass away. (Proverbs 4:14‑15) where it teaches us to do everything we can to stay away from evil — to “enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men. Avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, and pass away.”
John found out that one of the snakes he had caught was a very dangerous and poisonous water moccasin! He and his friends killed the snake, and they were thankful that none of them had been bitten by it.
All of us want to have a happy life. The Bible tells us in Psalm 34:12-1412What man is he that desireth life, and loveth many days, that he may see good? 13Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile. 14Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it. (Psalm 34:12‑14) that if we want a happy life, we should first “depart from evil.” Then it tells us positive things we can do. “Do good; seek peace, and pursue it.” God doesn’t leave us without knowing how to spend our time, and how to spend it very happily! There are good things He has planned for us to do. And there are ways even for children to seek peace and do things that help bring peace. One of those ways is to get along with your brothers and sisters if you have any. Another way is to share the good news about salvation through the Lord Jesus with your friends.
Messages of God’s Love 6/6/2021