Hooked

Bible Reading: Psalm 97:10-12; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

Peter was surfing the net on his tablet when a scream pierced the air—then another. He jumped to his feet and ran to the pond behind his house where his two younger brothers were fishing. A fish hook was stuck in the back of Levi’s neck.

“I’m hooked!” Levi yelled when he saw his big brother. “Josiah hooked me!” Tears rolled down Levi’s cheeks. “Get me unhooked, Peter.”

“I didn’t mean to hook you!” Josiah wailed. “I’m sorry!”

Peter looked around in a panic. “I’ll go get Dad!”

When Dad saw what had happened, he examined Levi’s neck. After carefully removing the hook, he took Levi inside and cleaned and bandaged the wound. “You’ll be fine,” he said. “It wasn’t in deep at all.”

Peter ruffled Levi’s hair. “Just be glad Josiah didn’t aim higher and hook your brain.” Levi turned and frowned at Josiah.

After the younger boys went back outside, Dad and Peter went to the living room. “I’m glad Levi didn’t get hurt too bad,” Peter said as he picked up his tablet.

“Me too,” said Dad. “It’s important to be careful with things that can hook you—and I’m not just talking about fishing gear.” He nodded toward Peter’s tablet. “There are things on there that can hook you too—and they can do worse damage than a fish hook.”

“What do you mean?” asked Peter.

“Some websites on the internet have pictures and other things that cause people to have impure thoughts,” Dad explained. “You told Levi to be glad Josiah didn’t hook his brain. There was no danger of the fish hook doing that, but there are things online that can. They influence people’s thoughts and actions and can become so firmly stuck in their minds that they can’t forget them.”

“So how do we keep ourselves from getting hooked?” Peter asked.

“We need to remember that we belong to Jesus, and He freed us from sin. We can resist the temptation to look at sinful things that can hook our minds. And even if we do get hooked by something evil, we can go to Jesus and confess our sin, and He will forgive us and get us unhooked.” – Barbara J. Westberg

How About You?

Do you use a computer or tablet to go online? The internet is a wonderful resource, but it can also be very dangerous. Many things on the web can hook your mind and hurt you. If you accidentally see something you know you shouldn’t look at, turn it off immediately. Remember that you belong to Jesus, and He died to free you from every kind of evil. Don’t get hooked!

Today’s Key Verse:
1 Thessalonians 5:22 Stay away from every kind of evil. (CSB)

Today’s Key Thought:

Don’t get hooked by evil