You cannot carry hot coals against your chest without burning your clothes, and you cannot walk on hot coals without burning your feet. [Proverbs 6:27-28 (NCV)]
There it was, perfectly placed near the pathway in the Botanic Gardens: a small alligator. “What an authentic looking bronze,” was my first thought. I stepped off the path to get a better view and stood just a few inches from it. As I wondered why a bronze alligator would be in the Asian garden, it finally occurred to me that it just might be real. “What’s the harm?” I thought. “I’m just looking, not touching.” I took a photo and stepped back. Two days later, I returned to the garden. In place of the alligator was a sign cautioning people, “Danger, alligators might be present.”
Sin is a little like that alligator. There is rarely a “danger” sign and it doesn’t always look like sin; often, it seems innocent and harmless. We venture near for just a look; we’re not planning on touching it. What’s a little flirtation with the forbidden? Does it never occur to us that sin could turn on us? That gator could have taken a nasty bite out of my foot; sin can take a lot more from our lives.
Devotions of the Heart 