Daily Devotional for October 18, 2022
Just a Peek
As Avi came into the kitchen, he spied a plate with an assortment of candies on the counter. Oh! That candy looks so good! He glanced at the clock. He wasn’t allowed to have snacks this close to dinnertime, but Mom had gone upstairs. Avi walked closer and looked at the candy again. Then he reached out and picked up a piece. This one’s green. I wonder if it’s mint. He smelled it, then broke off a tiny corner and tasted it. It was as good as it looked. Soon the whole thing was gone.
I’ve gotta try a little piece of fudge too, Avi decided. It was delicious, and when that was gone, Avi tried some peanut brittle. Before he knew it, he had eaten a few more pieces of candy. He moved the remaining ones around a little so the plate wouldn’t look quite so empty. Then he went to his room.
When Avi came to the dinner table a short time later, he glanced at the kitchen counter. The candy plate wasn’t in sight, but after everyone had eaten, Mom said, “Wait till you see what our neighbors gave us.” She went to the kitchen and brought back the plate of candies. “Mrs. Jeong made these,” said Mom. “I thought this plate was fuller, but isn’t it lovely? Let’s have some for dessert.”
Avi tried to ooh and aah with the rest of the family, but he felt so guilty—and full! When the plate came to him, tears filled Avi’s eyes. “I can’t eat any more,” he said, and the story spilled out. “I’m sorry,” Avi said when he finished. “I didn’t mean to. I was only going to look at it.”
Mom nodded. “Avi, do you see how you gave in to temptation little by little—how looking led to handling and smelling and tasting and eating? That’s how Satan works. He gets you to give in just a little at a time so it doesn’t seem so bad. He does that with other things that tempt us too—not just with candy. We need to resist Satan, and the best way to do that is to remember we belong to Jesus, who has freed us from sin and given us the power to say no to temptation, and refuse to take even one small peek.”
-Hazel W. Marett
How about you?
Are there things you’re tempted to do that don’t seem all that bad? Like watch just the beginning of a movie your parents told you not to watch? Or take just a peek at suggestive pictures on the Internet? Be very careful! Satan wants you to try just a little. He knows you might try a little more the next time. But if you know Jesus, Satan has no power over you, and you can resist him. Say no to sin right from the start.
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