Hello and welcome to today's encouragement from Our Daily Bread.

I'm Sheridan Voizzi and I've titled today's reading, Avoid the Door.

The dormouse's nose twitched.

Something tasty was nearby. Sure enough, the scent led to a bird feeder full of

delicious seed. The dormouse climbed down the chain to the feeder, slipped through the door,

and ate and ate all night. Only in the morning did he realize the trouble he was in. Birds now

pecked at him through the feeder's door, but having gorged

on the seed, he was now twice his size and unable to escape. Doors can lead us to wonderful places,

or dangerous ones. A door features prominently in Solomon's advice in Proverbs 5 on avoiding

sexual temptation. While sexual sin may be enticing,

he says, trouble awaits if it's pursued. Best to stay far from it, for if you walk through that door

you'll be trapped, your honour lost, your wealth pecked away by strangers. Solomon counsels us to enjoy the intimacy of our own spouse instead.

His advice can apply to sin more broadly too.

Whether it's the temptation to overeat, overspend, or something else,

God can help us to avoid the door that leads to entrapment.

The doormouse must have been happy when the homeowner found

him in her garden bird feeder and freed him. Thankfully, God's hand is also ready to free us

when we're trapped. But let's call on his strength to avoid the door of entrapment in the first

place.

Today's scripture reading is from Proverbs 5 verses 1 to 14.

My son, pay attention to my wisdom.

Turn your ear to my words of insight that you may maintain discretion and your lips may preserve knowledge.

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