Sin Germs

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Colossians 3:1-11

TO CHEW ON: Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. Colossians 3:5


Our bodies are surrounded by invisible enemies. Tiny bacteria and viruses live all around us on places like toothbrushes, doorknobs and dishcloths. They are always trying to find places to grow and multiply, and our bodies are great for that. So they sneak into our mouths when we drink, fly into our noses when we breathe, enter through the injured skin of a cut or wound when we’re hurt.

While they’re trying to get in, we’re trying to keep them out. We use antibacterial soap, disinfectant and, when germs get in us and make us sick, antibiotics to make us well again.


These invisible germs and viruses are a lot like the sins that love to live in our spirits. We try to destroy the invisible army of germs and viruses so they won’t invade our bodies. In the same way we need to destroy the sin germs that try to get into our lives and make us spiritually sick.

What eleven sins does Paul tell us to destroy in Colossians 3:5-9?

1.            2.
3.            4.               
5.            6.
7.            8.               
9.            10.          
11.

PRAYER: Dear God, please help me to recognize the sin in my life, and then confess it and stop doing it. Amen.


MORE: Sin’s Signs and Symptoms
Match the sin-germ with the sickness it causes:
1. Greed ___
2. Filthy talk ____
3. Malice ____
4. Slander ____
5. Lying ____
6. Anger ____
7. Lust ____


a. saying something untruthful or deceitful.
b. damaging someone’s reputation by what you say.
c. showing strong feelings of displeasure and hostility.
d. saying bad words and using dirty talk.
e. wanting to hurt someone with speech or action.
f. having an intense sexual desire.
g. selfishly desiring possessions.


ANSWERS

*************
Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

A Way Out

TODAY’S SPECIAL: I Corinthians 10:6-13

TO CHEW ON: "No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it." I Corinthians 10:13


Temptations come in a variety of ways and at different times.

If you’re writing a test at school, are you tempted to sneak a peak at someone else’s answers. If you’re in the store, are you tempted to slip something from the shelf into your pocket? If you’re hanging out with friends, are you tempted to go along with the crowd, even if what they’re doing is wrong? What tempts you? ______________


Paul wrote two letters to the church in Corinth. In the first one (1 Corinthians), he talked about temptation. He explained how, when we’re tempted, sometimes it seems impossible to resist. But God has promised to give us something – what is it? (I Corinthians 10:13)
__________________________

Dealing with temptation involves at least two things:
1. Realizing that what you face is a temptation.
2. Remembering that you don’t have to give in to temptation. With God’s help you can find a way out.

PRAYER: Dear Jesus, help me be alert to temptation and the way out of temptation. Amen.


MORE: Temptation Exits
What things below might be “a way out” of temptation for you?

- Close your eyes or look the other way.
- Leave.
- Just say "no."
- Change your activity to get your mind off the tempting thing.
- Remind yourself, Jesus sees everything you do.
- Pray.
- Be quiet and say nothing.
- Speak up, even if it takes a lot of courage.
- Say a Bible verse you’ve memorized.

ANSWERS

************
Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

God's All-seeing Eyes

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Acts 5:1-10

TO CHEW ON: "With his wife’s full knowledge, he kept back part of the money for himself, but brought the rest and laid it at the apostles’ feet." Acts 5:2

Some early Christians sold their property and gave the money from those sales to help others. Ananias and Sapphira decided to do this too. But instead of bringing the whole amount, they brought just a part and kept back some for themselves.

There was nothing wrong with this. But then Ananias did a sneaky thing. He gave the money to the leaders as if it were the entire amount. He tried to leave the impression that he was giving everything, even though he wasn’t. Later his wife Sapphira lied in the same way.

But God saw their deception. He told Peter, and Peter exposed their lie. That day Ananias fell down dead when Peter confronted him with what he had done.

"Death of Ananias" by Raphael

Later the same thing happened to Sapphira. It was God’s judgment on them for trying to deceive.

"Death of Sapphira" by Nicolas Poissin-1652

PRAYER: Dear God, I cannot fool You, even if I try. Help me to be honest with myself, with others and with You. Amen.


MORE: Old Sins Lying Around?
In the Bible, God rarely punished people for sins as immediately as he punished Ananias and Sapphira. But someday God will make public the things we have knowingly covered up and tried to hide.

Have you ever told a lie? Did you get away with it? Know that God sees and knows your lie, even though nothing has ever happened to you because of it. It’s a good idea to confess it to God now and know His forgiveness.

It may be a good idea for you to also say sorry to the person you deceived. Talk to God about this. Then do what He tells you.

**************
Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

I'm Not Allowed

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Luke 4: 1-13

TO CHEW ON: "Jesus answered, 'It is written ...' ... Jesus answered, 'It is written ...' ... Jesus answered, 'It says ...'” Luke 4: 4, 8, 12

Has this ever happened to you? Your friends are getting involved in an illegal or dangerous activity. Your parents have forbidden you to join in. One day your friends really put big pressure on you to join them. But you don’t want to. What is the best thing for you to do?
- Discuss and argue with your friends about why it’s not a good activity?
- Simply tell them, “ My parents say I’m not allowed”?

The last way is a bit like what Jesus did.

After Jesus was baptized, the Holy Spirit led Him into the desert. There He stayed by Himself for days, fasting (not eating).

"Christ in the Wilderness" by Ivan Kramskoy - 1873

But He wasn’t alone. For Satan was with Him, tempting Him to sin. After forty days, when Jesus was famished with hunger, Satan’s temptation was especially strong. “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread,” he said.

Command these stones to be made bread - Artist unknown

Jesus answered:

1. "__ __ ________: 'Man does not live on bread alone.'” (Luke 4:4)

Then Satan led Jesus to a high place and showed Him all of earth’s kingdoms. “All this can be yours if you worship me,” he said.


Jesus answered:

2. "__ __ _______: 'Worship the Lord your God and serve Him only.'” (Luke 4:8)

Finally Satan took Jesus to the top of the temple and challenged Him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself from the temple, for it is written, ‘He will command his angels concerning you ….’”

'The Tempter" - Artist unknown

Jesus answered:

3. "___ ________: 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'” (Luke 4:12)

When the devil tempted Jesus, He didn’t get into a discussion with the devil about why the thing the devil wanted Him to do was bad. Instead He said: “It is written...” and then He quoted God’s words from the Bible. That is like saying ‘God, My Father, says...’

PRAYER: Dear God, help me to learn to face temptation with Bible words. Amen.


SUPERSIZE IT: Facing Temptation Head-On
What Bible words or verses could you read or quote if you faced the temptation:

- to tell a lie?

- to steal?

- to swear?

- to disobey your parents?

- to badly want something your friend has?

ANSWERS

Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Adult readers - DAILY DEVOTIONS FOR ADULTS  are available too at Other Food: daily devo's. 

David's Secret

TODAY’S SPECIAL: 2 Samuel 12:1-10

TO CHEW ON: “Why did you despise the word of the Lord by doing what is evil in His sight?” 2 Samuel 12:9

David was now a successful and loved king. One day when he was relaxing on the palace roof, he caught sight of a beautiful woman taking a bath. He couldn’t get her out of his mind. So he told his servant to bring her to the palace.


She came and David found out her name was Bathsheba. She was married to Uriah, one of David’s soldiers. But that didn’t stop David from taking her to his room and making love to her. Then he sent her back home. A short time later, Bathsheba sent word to David that she was pregnant.

Now this was a problem, because her husband wasn’t home. He was on the battlefield. People would ask, “Who is the father of this baby?” Maybe David would be found out. So David sent for Uriah to come back from the war. David thought Uriah would welcome the chance to be with his wife. Then he would think the baby was his.

But when Uriah came home, he refused to go home to Bathsheba. “Why should I enjoy my wife when my fellow soldiers are dying?” he asked. Then he spent the night with David’s servants.

So David went to Plan B. He sent Uriah back to the war with a note for his captain. The note said to make sure Uriah was sent to the most dangerous place on the battlefield. No one should defend him when he was attacked. This way he would be killed by the enemy.

A few days later Uriah was killed in battle. Soon after that, David married Bathsheba. He thought that no one knew what had happened and everything would be just fine.

But God knew. One day God sent Nathan the prophet to see David. He told David a story about a rich man who stole the only pet lamb of a poor man, in order to feed his guests.

Illustrations by Annie Vallotton from the Good News Bible
© American Bible Society 1976, 1992, used with permission.

When David heard Nathan’s story he was angry. “That rich man should pay four times for the lamb he stole,” he exclaimed.

“You are that man,” Nathan replied. “You had all the women you wanted. Yet you weren’t satisfied. You stole Bathsheba from Uriah and had him killed. There are consequences for your sin. Now there will always be killing in your family.”

PRAYER: Dear God, am I hiding any sin like David was? Please help me remember, face up to it and make things right. Amen.

MORE: Snowball Sin
Have you ever made a snowball with sticky snow? Though you start with a ball of snow so small you can hold it in your hands, as you roll it in the snow and more and more snow sticks to it, it’s soon so big and heavy you can hardly push it.

Sin is like that. David’s look at Bathsheba led to thinking about her and wanting her. That led to adultery (having sex with someone who is married to someone else), and deceit and eventually murder.

- Can you think of a time sin was like a snowball in your life?

- Remember how easily sin grows next time you’re tempted to let your thoughts go where they shouldn’t, tell a ‘white lie,’ take something that isn’t yours.

***********
Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.


Adult readers - DAILY DEVOTIONS FOR ADULTS  are available too at Other Food: daily devo's. 

Samson Superman

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Judges 16:4-22

TO CHEW ON: "With such nagging she prodded him day after day until he was sick to death of it. So he told her everything.” Judges 16:16,17

“I’m in love with a Philistine girl,” Samson announced to his dad one day. “Get her for me.”

Samson’s parents didn’t approve. “Can’t you find a good homegrown girl to marry?” they asked. But Samson insisted. And so began his up-and-down relationship with the Philistines.

The marriage soon went sour when Samson’s new wife tricked him. He left her. When he went back, he found that she was now married to someone else. That made him furious. He caught 300 foxes, tied their tails together, lit them on fire and released them to burn the Philistines’ fields of wheat, grapes and olives.

And so it went. Again and again Samson had dealings with the Philistines and got double-crossed. That made him angry and, with his strength from God, he got even. Once he killed 1000 men with only the bone of a donkey as a weapon.


Another time he escaped capture by breaking ropes he was tied with, then busting open the gates of the city by pulling them off their hinges. In this way he led Israel’s fight against the Philistines for twenty years.


One day he fell in love again with another Philistine lady named Delilah. Soon Samson was spending a lot of time at her house. When the city rulers found out, they promised Delilah large sums of money if she got him to tell the secret of his strength. And so she began asking him to tell her.

Time after time, Samson put her off by telling lies. “If you tie me up with seven fresh bowstrings, or with new ropes that have never been used, or weave the braids of my hair into the fabric on your loom I’ll become as weak as any man,” he told her. As soon as he fell asleep the city rulers did these things to him. But when he awoke he was as strong as ever. He ripped the bowstrings, tore the ropes and pulled out the loom.

But Delilah kept nagging and nagging and nagging. If Samson had been smart, he would have known that he should get away from Delilah. Her nagging was wearing him down.

He didn’t, though. And so the day came when he couldn’t stand it any more. “My strength is in my long hair,” he said. “I have never cut it because I am a Nazirite. If you cut off my hair, I’ll be like any ordinary person.”


That day after Samson fell asleep, the city rulers came. They cut off his hair. Then Delilah woke him. “Samson, the Philistines are going to get you!”

Samson got up. He tried to shake himself free like he had before. But he couldn’t. His strength from God was gone. He had played with the fire of temptation too long. Now he was burned.

The Philistines captured him, gouged out his eyes, and put him in the Gaza jail. There he was set to work grinding grain.

PRAYER: Dear God, please help me recognize temptation and run away from it. Amen.

MORE: Samson’s Super-sad Ending
Read the end of Samson’s story in Judges 16:23-30.
When Samson's hair grew long again his strength came back. Draw the last feat of strength he ever did.

************
Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Adult readers - DAILY DEVOTIONS FOR ADULTS  are available too at Other Food: daily devo's.