Foolish Choices

Acts 24:24-27

“Come on, Dan,” Uncle Pete called, “let’s take a ride.”

“Okay,” agreed Dan. He enjoyed his uncle’s company. Uncle Pete was Dad’s brother, but they certainly were not alike. For one thing, Dan’s dad was a Christian, while Uncle Pete seemed to have no interest at all in the Lord. But Dan wasn’t a Christian either. Maybe that was why he enjoyed Uncle Pete so much.

As Dan reached for the seat belt, Uncle Pete turned to him. “You don’t need to fasten that thing,” he said with a laugh. “We’re just going a short distance.”

But Dan buckled up just the same. “In school we were taught that seat belts save lives,” he said. As he spoke, he noticed his uncle pulling out a cigarette.

“I suppose now you’ll tell me that smoking is bad too,” said Uncle Pete.

Dan grinned. “You know it already.”

Uncle Pete turned and glanced at the boy. “You’re getting to sound more and more like your dad,” he snapped.

“Well, Uncle Pete, you know you should use seat belts, and you know smoking is dangerous,” retorted Dan. “So how come you ignore all the statistics?”

Dan’s uncle took a firmer grip on the steering wheel. He was quiet for a long time. “The truth is,” he said at last, “I don’t really know. If your dad were here, he’d also want to know why I haven’t become a Christian.” He turned and looked at Dan. “And,” he added, “he’d ask the same question of you!”

Dan had no answer to that, but he thought about his uncle’s words long after they returned home. Later that night Dan thought, I’m going to do it! I’m not going to be like Uncle Pete anymore! At least not in this. He jumped up and went to find his dad. He knew Dad would explain to him again what it meant to trust in Jesus.

How about You?

Do you ignore warnings concerning your physical welfare? That can be dangerous. It’s even more dangerous to neglect your spiritual welfare. Why not talk to a trusted Christian adult such as a parent or Sunday school teacher about becoming a Christian?

Memorize:

“For God says, ‘At just the right time, I heard you. On the day of salvation, I helped you.’ Indeed, God is ready to help you right now. Today is the day of salvation.” 2 Corinthians 6:2