God will always provide a Warning and Path of Escape.

BRISTOL HEAD

By Joe White

1 Corinthians 10:13 - No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.

A rattlesnake's rattle is symbolic of the many warnings in nature. But there are also manmade warnings all around us. Weather reports are a good example of warnings we encounter every day. Sometimes we disregard them at great peril.

Story has it that in Lake City, Colorado, a party of snowmobilers ignored the winter storm alert being broadcast over the radio in the café where they were enjoying lunch. An hour later they were high atop Bristol Head, groping along in a whiteout, when suddenly the ground fell out from under them. Days later a rescue team found them at the base of the 1000-foot cliff, their bodies shattered beyond recognition. Because of the blinding snow, they had missed the sign that warned of the dangerous cliff. It is impossible for one to pass that landmark without thinking of the terror that must have been theirs during that brief plummet to earth.

I Corinthians 10:13 contains both comfort and caution. When I read it, I am reminded that the temptations I face are not uncommon. In fact, other Christians face them, too. However, in spite of this comfort, the verse leaves no room for me to act recklessly. Temptation may be common, but it can still lead to a disastrous fall if I yield to it. God in His graciousness provides a "way of escape." But many is the imprisoned boy or the impregnated girl who says, "God must not really care for me. When I was tempted, He didn't provide me with a way of escape. Now look at the mess I'm in." Yet, if they search their memory they will always find that there was a sign, a neon sign that read:

"DANGEROUS CLIFF AHEAD. IN CASE OF HEAVY SNOWFALL, DO NOT PROCEED BEYOND THIS POINT."

Had the snowmobilers heeded the weather report in the first place, they would never have been up on Bristol Head. But because they ignored the report, they got trapped in the whiteout. And because of the whiteout, they missed the important trail sign. And because they missed the important trail sign, they sailed over the cliff. And because they sailed over the cliff, their lives were cut short tragically. Oh, how I wish teenagers would see that temptation and the tragedies that result from it are just like that tragedy on Bristol Head. When we ignore the initial "way of escape" God provides for us, our vision becomes so impaired that it is increasingly difficult to find our way back to safety.

My friends watch for the signs today. And when you see one, don't just read it and roar past it . . . heed it and soar successfully through life.

QUESTIONS:

1. Is it comforting to you to know that "no temptation has overtaken, but such as is common to man?" If so, why is this comforting?

2. Discuss a time when you recognized a "way of escape", yet refused to heed it. What were the results?

LIFELINE:

God will always provide a path of escape. This means we must be so "in tune" with Him that we don't miss the path.

Men at the Cross: Daily Devo by Joe White http://conta.cc/cq3r18