NOVEMBER 13, 1 Peter 5:8

“Wow! Look at that bear yawn!” exclaimed Guan Nam on their visit to the zoo. “See all those teeth? I bet he could really hurt someone with them!” Dad smiled. “I’m sure he could,” he agreed. “He’s got sharp claws, too.” A little later, Guan Nam pointed to a large tiger. “Imagine that guy sneaking up on you in the jungle!” he exclaimed as the tiger stared at them. His sister Olivia shivered. “I’d rather not,” she said.

On the way home, the family went for dinner. Guan Nam thought about the fierce animals they had seen. “Dad, which kind of animal do you think is the most dangerous?” he asked. “Well, I don’t really know, but I guess I’ll vote for the lion,” replied Dad.

“Or the grizzly bear,” Olivia suggested. “Look!” exclaimed Guan Nam. “The guy that just came out of that bar can hardly walk! And there’s a man sitting on the curb over there – and another one sprawled out right in the street. A policeman is talking to them.” Dad nodded. “That’s sad, isn’t it?” he said. “You know, we wouldn’t want to get too close to fierce animals like those we saw at the zoo, but you’re looking at evidence of something even more dangerous than lions or bears or any of those other animals.”

“Things around here don’t look very neat,” murmured Olivia, “but there aren’t any animals here, Dad.”“Not the kind we saw at the zoo,” Dad agreed, “but the Bible compares Satan to a roaring lion and what we see here shows some of the damage he can do. More homes are broken and more people die due to man’s sin than from all the animals put together.”

“So you’re saying Satan is the most dangerous creature of all,” said Guan Nam. “In a way,” said Dad. “What we’re observing here looks bad, but Satan also knows how to make things look good. Because of that, people often like to try what he offers. That’s dangerous and often results in destroyed lives. We need to be alert and resist Satan no matter how good he makes bad things look.”

“Okay,” said Guan Nam. “I’ll remember that – and I’ll remind Olivia, too.” Olivia smiled. “We’ll remind each other,” she said.

Thought: Beware of Satan – the most dangerous beast!

Prayer: Father in Heaven, I am so glad for this reminder that Satan is much more dangerous than all the wild animals in the zoo. I should be afraid of the bad examples of friends or the so-called little white lie that seems so harmless. These are things Satan uses to try to destroy me and others. May I be smart and stay as far away from sin as possible. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.