Strings Attached

Bible Reading: Genesis 3:1-6

“Come here, little crab. I have something you’ll like. Come on. Try it,” Paxton coaxed softly. “A little closer now. That’s right. Keep coming. Another nibble. Closer…closer…”

There was a sudden splash in the water. “Gotcha!” shouted Grandpa. He held up the dip net. “This one is huge, Pax! Good job! Okay, toss that chicken wing back in and let’s try to catch another.”

One of the things Paxton enjoyed most when he visited his grandparents in Florida was catching crabs for their annual seafood cookout. When he and Grandpa went crabbing, they didn’t have to bother with hooks, sinkers, or even poles. All Paxton had to do was tie a piece of raw chicken on a long string and dangle it in the shallow waters of the river. When he felt a tug, he slowly pulled the bait toward him, inch by inch. The crab, nibbling the chicken, would follow it right up to the edge of the water. Then, in one swift motion, Grandpa would scoop the crab into the dip net.

“Here comes another one,” said Paxton. “Crabs must be really dumb to ignore the string that’s attached and get caught like this.”

Grandpa smiled as he scooped up the crab. “I’m not sure how intelligent crabs are, but we often do the same thing and get caught too.”

“We do?” Paxton looked up at Grandpa. “By following a piece of chicken? Not me!”

“You toss out chicken because it looks good to the crabs. And Satan tosses out all kinds of things that look good to us—like money, popularity, or having fun,” Grandpa explained. “The things he uses are not necessarily wrong, but he coaxes us to use them in the wrong way—for our own selfish desires. It’s as if he’s saying, ‘Try it.’ And then, ‘Just a little more.’ If we’re not careful, we get caught up in sin. What seems harmless at first can end in disaster.”

“Which is why we need to confess our sins to Jesus and then stop doing them,” Paxton said. “We don’t want to end up in hot water like these crabs will tonight!”

Grandpa grinned. “That’s right. We must turn from temptation because sin leads to consequences in our lives. There are always strings attached.”

-L. Gail Rhodes

How About You?

Do you realize how dangerous it is to sample sin—to try it even once? Don’t make the same mistake Adam and Eve did in the Garden of Eden. Sin may seem harmless, but it has consequences. Don’t get caught up in it. If you know Jesus, He’s freed you from sin. You don’t have to give in to it. Trust Him to forgive you when you do sin and to help you turn away from temptation.

Today’s Key Verse: Proverbs 5:22 The sins of the wicked will trap them. Those sins will be like ropes holding them back. (ERV)

Today’s Key Thought:

It’s dangerous to sample sin