"Run From The Ice Cream Man!"

The story is told of a little boy who tried his best to save money to buy his mother a present. It was a terrible struggle because he gave in so easily to the temptation to buy goodies from the ice cream man whenever the brightly colored van came through his neighborhood.

One night after his mother had tucked him in bed, she overheard him pray, “Please God, help me run away when the ice cream man comes tomorrow.” Even at his young age, he had learned that one of the best ways to overcome temptation is to avoid what appeals to our weaknesses (cf. Genesis 39:12; James 4:7-8).

As Christians, we are tempted to sin. Yet, we need not give in to the temptation. The Lord provides the way to be victorious over evil enticements (1 Corinthians 10:13). But we must do our part. Sometimes that involves avoiding situations that would contribute to our spiritual defeat.

The apostle Paul admonished Timothy to run away from the evil desires of youth (2 Timothy 2:22). He was to keep his distance from the temptations that might cause him to yield because of their strong appeal.

Dear reader, that’s good advice!

If possible, we should never let ourselves be in the wrong places or with people who will tempt us to do the things we should be avoiding.

Like the little boy, let’s be sure to “run from the ice cream man!”

—Mike Riley, Gospel Snippets