Sin is Dangerous

Keys for Kids Daily Devotional for December 14, 2007
TITLE: Danger
SCRIPTURE: Galatians 6:7-8
AUDIO: listen here
THE STORY FOR TODAY:
The last evening of the winter church retreat was a blur to Steve. He and his brother John had ignored the "Danger" signs around the old mine and decided to explore the area. Steve dimly remembered seeing John drop down inside the fence that blocked off the mine, and then disappear with a dreadful, crashing sound. Steve vaguely recalled his frantic run for help, followed by an uneasy wait as men worked to get his brother out. Pastor Jack had called for help on his cell phone, and the wait for the rangers to come in a helicopter had seemed endless. Now as Steve waited for his father to return with news from the hospital, he wished he and John had obeyed the instructions to stay within sight of camp! How he wished they had paid attention to the "Danger" signs at the mine!
When Dad finally came home, Steve was relieved to hear that John would be all right. "I'm so sorry we disobeyed you Dad, and that we ignored the signs," Steve repeated over and over between sobs. "I'm so sorry."
"I know, Son," said Dad. "I trust you've learned a lesson from what happened."
"I have, Dad. Honest, I have!" exclaimed Steve.
Dad nodded. "Calm down now," he said. "I think you've been punished enough-but we'll talk later about what happened."
John recovered rapidly, and soon he was back home. It was then that Dad had a serious talk with the boys about what had happened. "What did the signs at the mine say?" he asked them.
"They said, 'Danger. Keep out!'" replied Steve.
"Exactly," said Dad, "and when you boys didn't obey them, you had to pay the consequences. When you ignored that warning, you ignored God's warning, too. His Word also says, 'Danger. Keep out of sin, or you'll have to pay the consequences.' Not in those words, but one verse says, 'Be sure your sin will find you out.' You thought no one would know what you did, but your sin of disobedience brought unhappy consequences, didn't it?"
"It sure did," agreed John.
"Always remember that you can't get away with sin," added Dad. "Even if you don't see immediate consequences, God knows all about it, and sooner or later, the consequences must be faced."
MEMORY VERSE: Be sure your sin will find you out. Numbers 32:23
HOW ABOUT YOU? Do you think you can disobey, cheat, or lie-just once-and it won't matter? Do you think nobody will ever find out? God already knows, and very often other people find out, too. Sin is dangerous, and it has serious consequences. You may not see that right away, but you can't escape them forever. God says you'll "reap" what you "sow." Believe Him, and with His daily help, avoid falling into sin.
THE KEY: Sin is dangerous