Today's Devotional

February 7,  2006

 

Subject:  The Cost Of Deception

Proverbs 20:1 - "Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise."

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On the way to work yesterday, I passed a fire truck with a huge set of floodlights posted on the other side of the highway just outside of Houston.  I noticed that a vehicle was facing the same direction that I was traveling, but it was on the other side of the road and it had been in a terrible accident.  I later learned that three people died in the collision and that a vehicle had been driving the wrong way in the early morning hours after leaving a Super Bowl party.  As you would guess, drinking and driving is suspected as a cause.  While this story was close to home, it's quite easy to find one of these in the news of our major cities every day. 

The scripture doesn't forbid the use of alcohol, but it does talk about being deceived by it.  So what is the deception?  The deception could be thinking that I could have one beer and then drive.  That varies for every individual, but regardless of what deception is for you or me, the costs of being deceived is high.  As you saw in this accident, it cost three people their lives and the cost to family and friends is enormous. 

We must all "count the costs" to determine if it is worth it because we have the "right" to do it.  Whether or not we do have the right, to be deceived by it makes us foolish and that cost is too much for us all.

Carlen