If you play with fire…

Can a man take fire in his bosom, and his clothes not be burned?
Can one go upon hot coals, and his feet not be burned? Pro 6:27-28

Pyromania was alive and well with my brother and I when we were kids. (Maybe that's where my two boys get it!). We were fascinated with the incendiary. Our home was historic, it had belonged to General John J. Pershing around the turn of last century. The garage had one side for autos, the other for horses and a haystack above. We performed several "scientific" experiments in that old barn. Too bad the neighborhood kids had learned from us and decided to perform one of those acts while we were still in bed one summer morning. They torched the whole thing and destroyed the place. Well, that's what you get when you play with fire.

Did you hear the story of the king who was in the market for a good carriage driver for his daughter? To find out who was the most suitable driver for his girl he proposed a challenge to the candidates. He offered the prestigious job to the one who, at full speed could drive the carriage closest to the dangerous cliff edge, while maintaining a high speed. One driver came a mere foot away from the edge while rounding the turn. The next was able to maneuver the wagon several inches closer. All who observed cheered his valor. Then a third man took the reins and as he approached the dangerous precipice, he slowed the horses to a painfully slow gait. He hugged the rock cliff as far away from the chasm as possible. The people booed his cowardess. As he finished his course, the king demanded of him why he was so cautious. “I value my life and that of these beautiful steeds so much so that I have no desire to see them wasted in such foolishness. And besides that, I see no earthly reason to endanger the beautiful princess’ life, should she be aboard this magnificent carriage whilst I am driving.” The king nodded and said, “To this man goes the honor of driving my daughter’s carriage, for his wisdom and respect has earned him such a privilege.”

I am appalled to see such carelessness in the lives of God’s people these days. They show no respect for God nor the dangers of sin. Rather than stay as far away from evil as possible, they nudge up to it so close, trusting their grit and determination not to fall into its vices, they are soon caught up in it and are unable to escape.

I read a bizarre story which I now share with you that proves the point of people’s foolish rendezvous with sin. May God deliver this dumb dove before she is devoured by the coyote.

Drew Peterson’s fiancée: He will never hurt me - She says suspected murderer ‘has a good heart,’ plans summer wedding - By Michael Inbar - TODAYShow.com contributor - Feb. 13, 2009
Many people, including her own parents, call her crazy, but Christina Raines maintains she is Only crazy in love with her notorious, headline-grabbing fiancé, Drew Peterson.
After a strange, weeklong split, Raines has reconciled with Peterson and is planning a summer wedding, despite Peterson’ remaining under a heavy cloud of suspicion that he murdered his third and fourth wives. The pair sat down with TODAY’s national correspondent Amy Robach for an interview marked by Peterson’s braggadocio and Raines’ continued assertion her intended is no criminal.
Raines, just 24, told Robach she ignores talk that her future husband is a murderer, despite her father Ernie publicly declaring he fears for his daughter’s life.
‘A good heart’“[Drew] has a good heart,” Raines told Robach. “[He’s] very caring and I don’t think he will ever hurt me or anyone else.”
Peterson, 55, a former police sergeant in Bolingbrook, Ill., is under police investigation for the disappearance of his fourth wife, Stacy Peterson. The 25-year-old woman went missing in October 2007, and while Drew Peterson told police he had received a call from Stacy telling him she was leaving to be with another man, the couple’s neighbors reported Peterson carried a 55-gallon barrel out of his home shortly after her disappearance.
Suspicions in the Stacy Peterson case prompted authorities to exhume the body of Peterson’s third wife, Kathleen Savio, who died in 2004 from what was initially judged to be an accidental drowning in the couple’s bathtub. A new forensic examination decreed Savio had actually died of a forced drowning.
While police continue to gather evidence for possible charges against Peterson, his 33-years-younger fiancée told Robach she has no fears becoming the next Mrs. Peterson. She noted that she knew Drew before Stacy’s disappearance, and “he has always been nice to me.”
When Stacy disappeared, Raines said she “felt bad for [Drew]. I felt like she was kidnapped or something. But that’s it. I didn’t think that he did anything to her.”

So, there you have it. People are so stupid that they look down the barrel of a loaded gun and aren’t afraid to pull the trigger. What about you? Are you taking fire to your bosom these days? Are there sins you are playing around with which are going to burn you?

Do like the wise driver did, stay as far away from the edge as possible and you won’t have a thing to worry about.