DO NOT ENTER

Lu 22:40 And when he was at the place, he said unto them, Pray that ye enter not into temptation.

It surely would be helpful if we had a DO NOT ENTER sign in front of every temptation. If we are honest with ourselves we have to admit that many of the temptations that we face could be avoided.
We all have areas where we are weak and most of the time we know what they are. In too many instances we are like the person on a diet who goes into a donut shop, just to have a cup of coffee.

We know before we go inside the donut shop that the smell of those fresh hot donuts and other goodies is going to be more than we can resist. We finally leave with a dozen donuts, not counting the two cream filled ones we ate with our coffee. In such a case we willingly enter in to temptation.
We are much like the little boy who had a slight summer cold and his dad told him he was under no circumstances to go swimming in the creek that day. When his dad came home from work he saw the little boy coming from the creek completely soaked.
The boy was quick to defend himself, "I didn't mean to go swimming. I just went to watch the other boys and I fell in. Since I was already wet I didn't think it would hurt to swim around a little."
"I see son," his dad said with a frown, "But why do you have your bathing suit on?"
"Oh that," the boy explained, "I had a feeling that I might accidentally fall in and I didn't want to get my clothes wet."
We are a lot like the little boy. Often we say we are tempted by something outside ourselves when we know we before it happens that we will not fall into sin but jump right into it deliberately. We sometimes make provisions to sin.
Jesus encouraged his disciples to watch and to pray so that they would not enter into temptation. We need to recognize our weaknesses and avoid temptation. The best way to do this is to increase our prayer life and grow closer daily to the Lord.

THANKS FOR YOU ALL

I Thessalonians 1:2 We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers;

One of the best lessons I have learned in my ministry is to be thankful. I am sure you have noticed if you read these devotionals regularly that I have a lot of them on thanksgiving. I guess that is because I believe the most blessed people in the world are those who are thankful.
Learning about thankfulness comes in stages. We all know we should be thankful for the material things God has blessed us with and for the great spiritual blessings we receive from Him and through others. It was not hard to learn to be thankful for those who have ministered to me through the years.
One of the hardest lessons to learn is to be thankful for those you have the opportunity to minister too. It is in the ministering that you depend so much on God and it is in the ministering that you allow Him to work through you.
I do thank God for the readers of these devotionals and I want to thank you for allowing me to minister to you. It is my prayer that through my ministry you might grow and share this work and be a blessing to others. In doing so you too will receive a blessing.

SHOWING OUR CHRISTIAN WORKS

James 3:13 Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him show out of a good conversation his WORKS with meekness of wisdom.

In the home show kindness and caring.In business show honesty and industry.In society show courtesy.Toward the unfortunate show compassion.Toward the weak offer a helping hand.Toward the wicked show resistance.Toward the fortunate express your congratulations.Toward the penitent show forgiveness.But mostly toward God show your love and your reverence.
If we really want to show the world that Jesus makes a difference in our life sometimes we have to work at it. We need to pray about how we act and mostly how we react to those around us.
We need to make our homes a pleasant place to be. We can help make our workplace have a better atmosphere. We should act and react in such a way that people are glad to see us coming.

NOW AND LATER

Psalm 73:24 Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel, and afterward receive me to glory.

Our life from day to day is merely a journey for those who believe in eternal life through Jesus Christ. Just like any other journey it has its twists and turns and detours and sometimes even hazards. There are obstacles in our way and bumps along the road.
Even with the bumps and twists and turns though, life is a magnificent journey. It is made so much better by two things. One is the fact that God's counsel is available through His Word and His Spirit to guide us along the way. The other is knowing that He is waiting to receive us to Glory at the end of the Journey.
No matter how interesting your trip is, there is nothing that can compare with reaching the destination.I know the Way because Jesus said, "I am the Way, the Truth and the Life."

HOLDING MY HAND

Psalms 73:23 Nevertheless I am continually with thee: thou hast holden me by my right hand.

When he was younger my grandson was always perfectly willing to hold his mama's hand or mine when we were in a store or just about anywhere. As he got older and more independent he began to pull away so that he could go more his own way.
Occasionally now (even at the grownup age of eight) when I reach down to take his hand he will grasp mine and walk with me. I don't know if he is just doing this to humor an old man or not but it surely does my heart good.
Sometimes I feel that maybe I get a little too independent and fail to hold onto God's hand. How much better it would be if I would just take hold of His hand, let Him guide me, and keep me safe, and just trust Him to care for me. I know He is my loving Heavenly Father and all He wants is for me to trust Him and walk closely with Him daily.

NEARLY SLIPPED

Psalms 73:2 But as for me, my feet were almost gone; my steps had well nigh slipped.(3) For I was envious at the foolish, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.

As I read this verse it really made me think of the times that I have looked enviously at the lives of others and almost slipped. Most of us can well remember the times that we not only almost slipped but did slide down the slippery slopes into the depths of sin. It is really a little encouraging to think of the times we almost slipped but didn't.
What is it that holds us back when we are envious of the foolish and we almost slip? It could be experience, remembering the last time we did something similar. It could be that we have gained some wisdom with years, I hope so. It could be that maybe we have allowed Jesus to have a firmer grip on our hand and we are holding much tighter to Him as we walk.
Remember the closer we walk with Jesus, the less likely we are to slip.

NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH

1Thessalonians 5:22 Abstain from all appearance of evil.

When we see a Neighborhood Watch sign it is there to let people know that if they do something they are not supposed to do someone might be watching. These signs are placed there to deter wrongdoing.

In reality as we go through life we should be aware of the Neighborhood Watch. People are always watching, especially if they know we are Christians. They are interested in how we react to things. They want to know if we are serious in what we say we believe. Some people delight in catching a person doing wrong.
I once read a comment by a Catholic Bishop who said he had noticed that if he was at a gathering and a very attractive woman entered, half of the people would watch the woman as she entered. The other half would watch him to see if he was watching her.

We need to constantly be aware of our behavior. We never know when someone is watching. Someone once said that the life of a believer is the only Bible some people ever read. We surely need to spread the gospel by telling people about Jesus and the way to be saved. That message is stronger if we "abstain from all appearance of evil.

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