In May 2022, Tyreek Hill, of the Miami Dolphins, purchased a 7-bedroom, 8.5-bathroom home for $6.9 million. That’s a really nice place! On January 3, 2024, a fire ripped through that house, and it took firefighters two hours to quell the flames, leaving extensive water and smoke damage throughout the house. A really nice place was nearly destroyed and left with severe and very costly damage.
How could something so valuable and beautiful so quickly be ravaged and left with lasting devastation? What could cause such destruction? Here it is: The fire was sparked by a child playing with a lighter in one of the bedrooms.
Do you think that child had any idea the damage that such a small, seemingly innocent act could cause? Playing with a lighter is no big deal, right? It’s “small.” It’s “controllable.” It’s “easy to keep secret,” so that no one will ever know, right? And, sure, it’s a little risky, but that’s what gives it a sense of excitement and intrigue. The child had no idea what would happen! But that’s the point.
How often do we, as Christians, behave in a similar fashion to this little child? I’m not talking about playing with lighters, but I’m talking about playing with temptation.
How often (and why?) do we put ourselves in tempting situations (even if “only slightly tempting”), but we think we can “handle it”? Maybe we think it’s just a “small” thing. Maybe we think that it’s “controllable.” Maybe we think that it’s a “secret” and nobody knows about it, so it’s no big deal. And, maybe, we realize that we are bordering on the edge of temptation, but that little “risk” gives us a little spark of excitement and adrenalin and intrigue.
Friends, are you playing with temptation? Are you getting yourself too close, but you think you’ve got it under control? The book of wisdom says, “Can a man take fire to his bosom, And his clothes not be burned? Can one walk on hot coals, And his feet not be seared?” (Prov. 6:27-28). Peter probably thought it was no big deal for him to go and warm himself with those who hated Jesus, but putting himself in that situation led him into sin (Luke 22:54-62). David probably thought it was no big deal for him to take a sneak peak at Bathsheba while she was bathing, but allowing himself to keep looking led him into sin (2 Sam. 11:1-27).
We need to “watch and pray” to keep ourselves from entering “into temptation” (Luke 22:40, 46; 8:13; 11:4). Our “own desires” entice us to think we can control temptation (Jas. 1:13-14). Let us not be fooled! Let us “flee” (2 Tim. 2:22) and “abstain” (1 Thess. 5:22; 1 Pet. 2:11), rather than playing with fire to see how close we can get without getting burned. Your soul is more valuable than a 6.9-million-dollar home!