Run from Evil

Do what is good and run from evil so that you may live!  Amos 5:14 

Props: teddy bear and picture of black or grizzly bear, cigarette ad and alcohol ad 

            I’ll never forget one time when I was on vacation in the mountains.  The mountains were beautiful and there were lots of tourists who would visit.  There were many parks set up for the tourists to stop and have picnics.  But they weren’t the only ones who liked to eat there.  There were also many black bears in the area.  (Display pictures of bears).  There were many signs up that read: Danger!  Don’t feed the bears!  Beware of bears!  The park rangers had to post signs because people didn’t realize that bears can be dangerous. 

            People forget how dangerous bears can be because a bear looks cute.  And when everyone is little they have teddy bears.  (Display teddy bear).  Isn’t it cute?  It couldn’t hurt anyone!  Bears must be so loving and cuddly and fun to play with, right?  Well, teddy bears might be cute, but real bears are wild animals that are capable of badly hurting or even killing someone.

            There are many things in the world that are dangerous, things that can hurt your body, your mind, your feelings and your relationship with God.  There are things like cigarettes that could kill you.  But the people who make cigarettes try to make them look cool so people will try them and get addicted.  (Display cigarette ad).  Does this cigarette look dangerous in this picture?  Of course not—but it hurts a person’s lungs every time he or she smokes one.  God acts like the park rangers who warn tourists about bears when He says in the Bible, “…run from evil…”  (Display alcohol ad).  Don’t these people look like they’re having a great time?  They’re drinking alcohol.  And what the alcohol companies don’t say in the ad is that over 17,000 people die each year in our country from alcohol-related car accidents.  (Insert current statistic for your area).  Drinking alcohol doesn’t make life more fun, it can be very dangerous—even deadly. 

            There are many dangerous things that the devil will try to make look good.  He will try to get you to think there’s nothing dangerous about gossip, disrespect, rudeness, bad movies, drugs, and many other things.  But it’s like the prophet Amos taught the people; if you do evil, you will get caught.  So the key is to keep running in the right direction.  And running in the right direction means running toward God and away from evil.  Think about the bears and stay away!