Jimmy was saving up for his mother's birthday.  He had seen the perfect gift in the local florist shop.  He opened his money box and counted the money for the umpteenth time.  There was nearly enough and with tomorrow's pocket money he would have plenty.   He was determined not to do anything bad, because he only received his pocket money when he had been a good boy.

As he fingered the money, he wondered if there would be enough for an ice-cream.  It was a terrible struggle because he so loved ice-creams.  Any flavour and the more the merrier!  His mouth watered as he tried to decide what flavour he could buy.

Every time he heard the chimes of the brightly coloured ice-cream van coming down his street, he would normally rush outside to buy a big delicious treat.  He just couldn't resist the temptation each week.

But, now there was Mom's present to be bought!  So he put his money away and climbed into bed.  As he was saying his prayers, his mother tiptoed into his bedroom to tuck him into bed.  She caught the tail end of his prayer:

"... and please God, help me run away when the van comes tomorrow!"

For Jimmy, the only way to beat temptation was to run away from the ice-cream van.  And he did!

It's often not easy for us to say "No!" when we are tempted to say or do something we know is wrong.  In 1 Corinthians 10:12, Paul warns us:

"Even if you think you can stand up to temptation,
be careful not to fall."

What should you do when you are tempted to do something wrong?   In 1 Corinthians 10:13, Paul assures us:

"But God can be trusted not to let you be tempted too much,
and He will show you how to escape from your temptations."

Do you think you can stand up to temptation?  We can do our part, but we always need to pray that God will help us to say, "No!"   And He will.

In 2 Timothy 2:22, Paul advises us to:

"Run from temptations that capture young people
and always do the right thing."

Paul meant that we should keep away from desires that might cause us to give in to sin because of their strong appeal.  That's good advice that we must listen to.  Make sure you don't go to places you know are wrong, and avoid people who will tempt you into doing wrong things.

Be sure to run from that ice-cream van!  Jimmy did, and he was very happy as he ran home with Mom's present in his arms.  He couldn't wait to give it to her!

God bless!