“The prudent see danger and take refuge, but the simple keep going and pay the penalty.”

Not long ago, I read that the odds of leaving a casino with more money than you went in with are 3%. That means 97% of the time the gambler loses and the casino (the house) wins. I guess that makes sense when you realize the expense of running a casino and the improbability that they would stay in business if they didn’t win. Those percentages are pretty startling, though. Here’s the connection to today’s verse. I know people—and you probably do as well—who live their lives this way. They go into situations where more than likely they will be hurt and potentially destroyed financially, physically, socially, and in so many other ways, but they believe they will be the one person who beats the odds. They believe that sin gets others, but it just won’t get them. When you step back and look at it, it is a frightening way to live. I must confess there were times I looked at what was being offered and thought, It won’t hurt me. Thankfully, as I’ve aged, I’ve learned that is never true. Sin is the house, and sin always wins—unless we run from it. Joseph did, and God protected him. It took a while, but he was restored and given a place of honor. Today, flee the dangers of temptation and run to the protection of God. #BeTheEdge

“Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” James 4:7 NIV