Before you start, get a piece of paper and write the word peirasthes on it. It’s pronounced like this:
pie (as in rhubarb or pumpkin)
ras (rhymes with gas)
thas (rhymes with base)
“Watch yourself so that you also are not tempted” (Galatians 6:1).
Pretending to be a pirate is fun. You can walk with a “peg leg”; say, “Argh, matey”; or wear an eye patch. Real pirates are terrifying, though. Throughout history, pirates have attacked boats, stolen treasure, and killed people. That’s why boats had crow’s nests; sailors used them as lookout points. Today pirates still sail the seas, taking what isn’t theirs and holding people hostage. Nowadays ships pay armed guards to protect them from attacking pirates.
In this passage, the Greek word for “tempt” is pronounced peirasthes, the word you wrote down. Now cross out the first e and the s, h, and other s.
What word is left? Pirate.
That’s right; God is telling you to be careful so you aren’t pirated. Pirates don’t send you an e-mail, letting you know they are coming. You have to keep a lookout, spotting them while they are still a ways off. Temptation doesn’t announce itself either. It sneaks up on you. Temptation leads to sin. Sin takes you hostage and hurts you.
Today, keep a lookout. Go into the crow’s nest to watch. Patrol your life so you aren’t pirated. Use the power of God to prevent an attack.
Chomp on this!
How can we keep a lookout for temptation?
How can we help each other watch out for attack?
