Bible Reading: Psalm 51:10; Philippians 4:6-9

“Whatcha doing, Trev?”

Trevor jumped as he quickly clicked to a different tab on his computer. “Nothing, Dad. Just looking up something for homework.”

His father looked at him curiously, then said, “Well, supper’s almost ready. Come set the table.”

Trevor’s fingers trembled as he clicked out of the tabs on his computer. His heart raced as he went to help his dad.

Everything seemed normal during supper, but he still felt nervous and wondered what his dad had seen. After devotions, Trevor started to leave, but Dad stopped him. “Hey, Trevor, help me wash these dishes, okay?”

Trevor tried to act natural. “Sure, Dad.” He grabbed a towel. To his surprise, Dad took a plate, dipped it in the soapy water, and set it in Trevor’s side of the sink. He dipped another one and set it on top of the first one. Trevor finally said something. “Dad! What are you doing? Those aren’t clean! You have to wipe off the food.”

“Oh! I do? A few specks of food won’t hurt any of us. Just rinse and dry them.” He kept passing the dirty dishes.

“We can’t eat off dirty plates, Dad! You have to wash them.” Trevor put the plates back into the soapy water.

“You’re right.” Dad wiped off a plate and handed it to Trevor. “Is that better?”

“Yes. Finally! Why were you doing that?”

“Well,” Dad said, “I think you have some cleaning up to do too. I saw what was on your computer.”

“You did?” Trevor sighed. “I’m sorry. My friend was looking at some bad sites, and he showed me. The first time I just looked for a couple of minutes, but then I kept going back and looking again.”

“Trev, when you look at websites like that, it can become an addiction that’s tough to break–trust me, I know.”

Trevor looked at the floor. “I don’t want to look, but I’m afraid I’ll look anyway.”

Dad put a hand on Trevor’s shoulder. “We’ll get you help, Trev. And you can go to Jesus for help too. He loves you so much that He died for you, and He will always forgive you when you sin and help you change your ways. Trust Him to help you turn away from sinful things and focus on the good things He’s put in your life.”

–Robyn Mulder

How About You?
Do you look at things you know you shouldn’t? The internet has many good things to offer, but it also has many sites that are bad. If you’ve gotten into the habit of looking at bad sites, talk to an adult and get help before it becomes an addiction. God tells us to think about things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, and admirable–things that go along with the new life Jesus has given us. Trust Him to help you set your mind on good things.

Today’s Key Verse:
I will set nothing wicked before my eyes. (NKJV) (Psalm 101:3 )

Today’s Key Thought:
Be careful what you look at