THE WAY OF THE WICKED IS LIKE COMPLETE DARKNESS.

Bible Reading of the Day: Read Proverbs 4:18-19.

Verse of the Day: “And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32).

Dad and Brian walked through the doors of the Air and Space Museum and into the bright light of a sunny day. As they walked down the museum’s stone steps, Brian asked, “Dad, you know what you were saying about how the truth sets you free?” Dad nodded.

“Can you explain that some more?” he asked.

“Sure, Son,” his dad said. “Let me ask you this. How did you feel when you woke up this morning?”

Brian shrugged. “OK, I guess. I was a little sleepy at first. . . .”

“Did your head hurt?”

“No.”

“Did your mouth feel like you had swallowed a bag of cotton balls?” “No,” Brian answered.

Dad nodded. “I’m glad to hear that, Son, because those feelings are common to someone who drank too much alcohol the night before. It’s called a hangover.”

Brian rolled his eyes. “I’m just a kid, Dad. You wouldn’t let me drink that stuff anyway.”

“You’re right,” Dad said with a wink. “But I’m not a kid, and you don’t see me getting drunk, do you?” Brian shook his head solemnly. “Why not?” “Because the Bible says that it’s wrong?”

“Right. But also because I know the truth will set me free. I know that if I obey God’s commands not to get drunk, I’ll be free from the pain of a hangover. And I’ll never take the chance of hurting or killing someone by driving while I’m drunk.

“That’s just one of the ways the truth sets us free, Son. Obeying God’s commands makes us free in so many ways. If I obey his command not to steal, I can be free from the guilt, shame, and fear of punishment that would plague me, even if I never got caught. If I obey his command not to lie, I can avoid being trapped by my own lies, without having to tell new lies to cover up the old ones. If I obey his command to be faithful to your mom, I free myself and my family from a lot of pain and trouble.”

“I bet a lot of people don’t even know how free they are!” Brian said.

Dad nodded. “And a lot of people don’t even know how much they’re missing if they don’t follow God’s ways.”

TO DO: The next time you see a bright, sunny day, remember that “the way of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, which shines ever brighter until the full light of day” (Proverbs 4:18).

TO PRAY: “Lord, help us live by your standards of right and wrong.”

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