But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called "today," that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. Hebrews 3:13

The story for today's devotion has been suggested by U. Ryan Beardall, who reads the Daily Devotions and lives in Orem, Utah. It is a good story, but I wouldn't read this devotion immediately before or after eating. Thanks, Pastor Klaus

The company, Western Family, says it's looking into an unsetting claim having been made by Troy Walker of Farmington, Utah.

That unsettling claim is this: Walker says she was preparing a dinner for some elderly people who live in her community. When she opened up a can of Western Family green beans, something didn't seem right. One of the beans seemed to be looking back at her. Closer investigation revealed that she was looking at the decapitated head of a snake.

Walker said she screamed when she realized what she was looking at.

Me, I just felt a bit nauseous.

Walker took the beans (and the snake head) back to the store where she had bought them. It gave her a refund and Western Family stopped the shipment of all its beans, until it could get the matter sorted out.

Now when Mr. Beardall submitted this story, he suggested we might want to speak about how the devil, whom Scripture often refers to as a "serpent," often shows up where we least expect him and most don't want him. It was a good idea, but I prefer we consider another direction.

I think we ought to talk about, and learn from, how the principals responded to the snake.

Walker took the head back to her store. The store turned it in to the canning company. Knowing there might be other cans of beans that didn't list "snake" on their label, the canning company immediately stopped all possible contaminated bean-snake shipments and stood ready to issue a recall. In short, everyone responded well.

Everyone did all they could.

And that, my dear friends, is an example of how the Savior's people ought to respond to Satan's temptations when they unexpectedly turn up. I'm afraid that, all too often, we pretend there is nothing amiss, or that it's not our job to warn others of Satan's temptations.

That's not right. As the book of Hebrews encourages, God's people -- Jesus' redeemed brothers and sisters -- are supposed to "exhort one another every day, as long as it is called 'today,' that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin." When we do that, we can help the Lord rescue people from some very unappetizing prospects.

Even more, we who have been rescued and redeemed by our Savior show the world you don't have to swallow Satan and his deceptions.

THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, the serpent, Satan, shows up in places we don't expect, in situations for which we aren't prepared. May we do all in our power to warn others of his presence and point them to the Lamb of God who takes away the world's sins. In Jesus' Name. Amen.

In Christ I remain His servant and yours,

Today's Bible Readings: Deuteronomy 17-19    Luke 5:17-39

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