Proverbs 1:8 – 19

…¹⁰ My son, if sinful men entice you, do not give in to them. ¹¹ If they say, “Come along with us; let’s lie in wait for innocent blood, let’s ambush some harmless soul;…¹³ we will get all sorts of valuable things and fill our houses with plunder; ¹⁴ cast lots with us; we will all share the loot”—

¹⁵ my son, do not go along with them, do not set foot on their paths;… ¹⁸ These men lie in wait for their own blood; they ambush only themselves! ¹⁹ Such are the paths of all who go after ill-gotten gain; it takes away the life of those who get it.

In our city the theft of catalytic converters has been on the rise. Thieves can remove these from cars and trucks in a matter of minutes. They sell them to buyers for $200 – $400 each for the precious metals that are inside them.

One morning three thieves went to steal the catalytic converter from a truck that happened to belong to an off-duty police officer. The officer, who was inside his house, heard some noise outside and went to check on his truck. Shots were fired and within hours this encounter resulted in one dead police officer and three young men arrested and charged with murder. The thieves were all under the age of 20.

In a sense, there were multiple “deaths” that day:

• The police officer
• The three young men
• The future of the policeman’s wife and children with him
• The future of any children the young men may have had
• The positive influence all four individuals could have had on current and future friends, family and associates

The price of all these “deaths”: $200 – $400. The enticement of a few hundred dollars led to a tragedy that will last generations.

But the question on the table is: “What enticements are you entertaining?”

• Are you spending too much time at the water cooler talking to someone who is not your spouse?
• Does company property end up in your office or garage?
• Do you like going to “happy hours” a little too much? Do you continue at home?
• Are you spending more and more time around negative people because you have the same grievance?
• Is your mindset becoming more selfish and self-centered? Are you becoming more prideful and egotistical?
• Have you gotten in the habit of degrading other people, pointing out their flaw?
• Have you become more lazy? Are you procrastinating to avoid something?
• Are you spending money to cover up emotions you’re trying to suppress?
• Are you justifying your hot temper?
• Have you developed other “idols” in your life, e.g., politics, sports, entertainment, work?
• Have you been too busy/tired/distracted to work on your personal relationship with the Lord?

What “enticements” are leading towards tragedy in your life?