Baseball is a practical joker’s game. Highlight reels are filled with the antics of players, from the classic “hot foot” to bubble gum on the hat. In most cases, it takes more than one player to pull off the best pranks. For example, several years ago, several teammates of the Blue Jays’ Derek Bell conspired with stadium personnel to have “Truck Giveaway Night.” To Bell’s surprise, the truck driven around the warning track and given to one lucky fan was HIS truck. The conspiracy was an incredible success.
Not every conspiracy is so innocent and fun.
Check out Proverbs 1:10-14 for a conspiracy of a different kind. “My son, if sinners entice you, don’t be persuaded. If they say–‘Come with us! Let’s set an ambush and kill someone. Let’s attack some innocent person just for fun! Let’s swallow them alive, like Sheol, still healthy as they go down to the Pit. We’ll find all kind of valuable property and fill our houses with plunder. Throw in your lot with us, and we’ll all share our money…'” (HCSB).
Sin and sinners are always enticing, as the verse says. They offer what seems to be an incredible and exciting time, even something mysterious and certainly off limits. They want you to believe you are missing something by not going along with them. They know how to guilt you, bug you, and attract you into joining them.
Whether you are drawn in by friends, companies, advertisements, celebrities music, movies, or anything else, the goal is the same: to entice you to live as if there is no God and as if there are no consequences for sin.
Hear the advice of Proverbs 1: “Don’t be persuaded.” Verse 18 shows that the sin they commit comes back to destroy them.
Chart a different course. Save your own life by giving it to Jesus. Refuse to take the path of those who are far from God or discount who He is. Know yourself and which influences are likely to lead you away from the Lord.
Here’s a prayer:
Lord Jesus, Sin is all around me. It’s everywhere. Help me to recognize that the pleasure of sin lasts only for a while, but its consequences can be forever. Give me wisdom, discernment, and courage to follow you and to not be persuaded by this sinful world. Amen.
