This weekend, a 33-year-old woman from Omaha, Nebraska was hospitalized with a severe injury to her left hand. That alone is not unusual or noteworthy. What makes the story unique is the way she received her injury.
She broke into her local zoo after hours and tried to pet a tiger.
Can we say the outcome is surprising? No. It is what we would expect.
However, we are not much different when it comes to putting ourselves in compromising situations and tempting sin. We know if we go certain places with certain people we will be tempted to sin. We know that if we say certain things in certain ways we are guaranteed to anger others and alienate ourselves. We know that our attitudes and actions will either connect us to Christ or separate us from Him.
“Can a man carry fire next to his chest and his clothes not be burned? Or can one walk on hot coals and his feet not be scorched?” (Prov. 6:27-28)
In Colossians 3:8-10, Paul compares the old way of living without Jesus to the new life that is found in Christ:
• If your attitude is characterized by anger, don’t be surprised to find you have no friends.
• If your language is characterized by obscenities, don’t be surprised when you are viewed as ignorant.
• If you become known for telling lies, don’t be surprised when no one trusts you.
Seems like we should know: If we try to pet a tiger—he is likely to bite us.
