Taking The Plunge - Free Newsletters

It was a beautiful summer afternoon, and my wife, daughter, and I were taking a leisurely bike ride through a neighboring park. About fifteen or twenty minutes into our ride, we came to the beach at the end of the trail. We were hot, and we could think of nothing better than taking a refreshing dip in the water.

There was a problem, however. No lifeguards were on duty, and in our neck of the woods that means no swimming is allowed. However, there were a number of families ignoring the rules and swimming anyway.

What to do? We stopped riding and looked at the water for a few minutes as we talked over the options we had before us. As I look back, I can see that we were trying to find an excuse—any excuse—for going in the lake.

Finally, my wife and I decided we had to obey the rules—if not for our sake, then for Kylie's. We wanted our daughter to know that we don't just follow rules when they're convenient.

This applies to God's laws as well. There are times when it can be so tempting to 'bend' the rules in certain cases, especially if we don't think we'll get caught. But when we resist the temptation and follow God's laws for living, we'll invariably see that God has just spared us from needless grief.

— Matt Donnelly, for the ChristianityToday.com staff