RECOGNIZING THE DANGER

I was out on my walk this morning enjoying the fall colors here in the mountains.  Occasionally, I stopped to take a picture with my camera-phone.

Glorious, Gorgeous, Magnificant artwork by my wonderful Creator!  He didn't create in black and white.  He didn't make food all one flavor.  He added fragrance and breezes.  He went abundantly beyond the "necessary" and lavished His creation with delicious, wonderful pleasures! 

As I saw these colorful trees and bushes, I was thinking that maybe we could plant some of these varieties within eyeshot of our living room windows - like the trees we have already aren't enough!?!

I came across this one and wondered, if I break off some clippings maybe they'll take root in water so we could plant them in the spring.



As I came close to choose a cluster to take home, I noticed that they had leaves of three.  That means one thing up here.  It's poison oak.  The plants that I recognize so easily in the spring and summer became deceptively beautiful in the fall; so much so that I nearly wanted them for my home.

My husband spends much of the spring trying to kill off any of this stuff that grows where our grandchildren might play or hike,  He sprays it and hacks at it and burns it - and here I am, going out and bringing it home!

How very much like sin!!

What we recognize clearly and reject in one season of our lives suddenly becomes attractive to us in another when we aren't preceptive enough to recognize its latest new presentation.

Knowing the shape of the leaf this morning saved me from a whole lot of grief and aggravation.

Knowing the deceptive nature of sin (and the one who tempts us) will help us recognize it's appearance in all its forms.  This knowledge or skill is developed by prayerfully renewing our minds in the Word and practicing restraint when the bait is dangled in front of us.

Hebrews 3:12-14

Take care, brethren, that there not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God.  But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called “Today,” so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.  For we have become partakers of Christ, if we hold fast the beginning of our assurance firm until the end