A crewman on a South Seas fishing vessel found himself in the kind of situation no one ever wants to be—swimming with sharks!

He was hired to process fish, but the cantankerous captain didn't think he was working fast enough. One day a school of sharks was following the boat, and in an outburst of anger the captain ordered his slow-working crewman thrown overboard! The hapless fellow swam as fast as he could, caught up with the ship, and was pulled on board.

This reminds me of a danger that we face as believers. Once in a while, we may find ourselves unexpectedly thrown into a situation where the ungodly are "swimming" all around us--at a business convention, at a party, in a dormitory, or even in the workplace—and temptation seems overwhelming. We are in real danger. In a spiritual sense, we're "swimming with the sharks."

When that happens, our best option is to "flee" temptation and choose to do what is right (2 Tim. 2:22). That may mean physically leaving a place or situation as fast as possible (Gen. 39:12). In any case, we need to reach out to God, calling on Him for help and protection—so we don't become shark food.  — David C. Egner