I was having a wonderful vacation all by myself up at the Muskoka Lakes. The place where I was staying was built overtop of a boathouse. A long window ran along two sides of the dining room, giving a beautiful view of the bay. I loved the sound of the water lapping against the dock and inside the boathouse. But there was one sound I did NOT like - mice scurrying around in the loft.
The loft could be reached from the kitchen by a short, brown ladder. It was full of the most interesting books, so I spent quite a bit of time up there. But when I snuggled into bed at night, I would lie quite tense, until I heard the mousetrap snap. Then I could relax and drift off to sleep, knowing that mouse would not be running all over the place while I slept.
But the next day I’d hear another mouse. Again I’d set a trap, and again I’d lie fearfully in bed until I heard it snap. Then I’d relax and go off to sleep. Each night for the two weeks I was there I caught a mouse, and each night I’d settle down to sleep as soon as I heard the trap go off. But I’m sure that when I left there were still many mice in that loft.
And there’s never a time in our lives when we don’t need to be on our guard against the tricks of the devil. His tricks never run out. The Bible warns, “My son [or daughter], if sinners entice [tempt] thee, consent thou not [say ‘no’].” Proverbs 1:1010My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not. (Proverbs 1:10). We can turn away from Satan’s tricks if we walk closely with the Lord Jesus and follow His loving directions. But Satan will continue tempting us with his tricks all through our lives down here.
Each of us needs to be sheltered from the penalty of our own sins by the precious blood of Christ. Then we can be kept from the power of sin in our daily lives by reading and obeying the Bible, the precious Word of God, and prayer. When we belong to the Lord Jesus we can count on His help because He lives in our hearts. The Lord Jesus promised, “If a man love Me, he will keep My words: and My Father will love him, and We will come unto him, and make Our abode [live] with him.” John 14:2323Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. (John 14:23). Can you think of anything more wonderful than having the Lord Jesus as your Saviour and your closest friend? No one loves you as much as He does. “We love Him, because He first loved us.” 1 John 4:1919We love him, because he first loved us. (1 John 4:19).
ML-08/29/1993