November 21, 1995
Patrick Combs of San Francisco thought he would have some fun by depositing a fake junk mail cheque in his account. Much to his surprise, his bank credited his account with the face value of the cheque — $95,000.
Wow! Poor Patrick had no idea they that would take his prank seriously. He could go to jail for bank fraud. His bank also experienced a wake-up call — they realized they should have taken a closer look.
As this story illustrates, face value is not always true value. Pleasant sales agents are sometimes con-artists. An innocent countenance sometimes conceals a greedy heart. Behind a smile may lurk an ulterior motive.
The same goes for ideas. Some seem reasonable, at least up front and to needy people. For instance, a lonely woman becomes pregnant thinking a baby will fulfill her need for companionship. An insecure husband initiates a relationship with a younger woman thinking that will make him feel young again. A bored child nags her parents assuming that as much stuff as can be piled under a Christmas tree will challenge her mind and fill her time.
Of course these notions are mocked by the aftermath. The baby asks far more than it gives. The affair turns into a crushing guilt trip, ruining a conscience and a marriage. The toys soon become just as “boring” as life was before she unwrapped them.
We should not take religious teachers at face value either. Jesus looked closely at the most religious people of His day and called them “hypocrites” with lives like “tombs — full of dead men’s bones.” He saw through their prayers, daily worship at the temple and alms giving. On the outside, they performed flawlessly and looked pious. However, their hearts were not right toward God so their religion had no true value.
Becoming spiritual is not as it seems — the Scribes and Pharisees missed it because their motives were wrong. Ancient Israel was also condemned for doing religious duties without true devotion to God. God’s prophets preached strongly against their hypocrisy, but were persecuted for their efforts. Most people did not seem to notice or care. To them, their religious leaders seemed fine. Nevertheless, this was an example of Solomon’s Proverb, “There is a way that seems right to a man (or a woman), but in the end it leads to death.”
Today, many religions also seem right — do good deeds, give to the needy, pray now and then, worship in a designated place — but all rely on human performance and a humanly devised way. According to the New Testament, God has only one way. Jesus said it: “I am the WAY, the truth, and the light. No man comes to the Father but by me.”
For many, His way does not “seem right.” It is more logical to rely on “I am a good person” or “God loves people so I will be okay” or “I worship God in nature and that is good enough” or “all that matters is that I am sincere” or “the ways to God are many.”
The Bible says “all fall short — no one is “good” enough. It also says God loves us, yet He is also holy and will not tolerate sin. As for worship, Jesus said “God is Spirit and His worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.” People can be sincere but sincerely wrong.
What matters is that we come the way He says we must. Jesus says, “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again... no man comes to the Father but by Me.”
If another way seems right, look a little closer. Face value is not always true value.
Showing posts with label true riches. Show all posts
Showing posts with label true riches. Show all posts
Monday, October 3, 2016
Wednesday, July 15, 2015
You cannot out-give God .............. Parables 300
January 14, 1992
The propane tank rental was due but I didn’t have the $50 necessary to avert repossession. I had been struggling to earn a living sewing and selling wildlife paintings so I could stay home to support my two small children. It was in this narrow place, a new Christian alone against threatening poverty, that God taught me a lesson I’ve never forgotten.
Prior to the propane tank crisis, I had realized my sinfulness and came to the Lord in humiliation. Mortified by some of the things I had done, I had a deep desire to please Him but I knew I could not earn eternal life — that is a gift. Grateful for it, along with the forgiveness He offered, I sought to become all He wanted and intended I should be.
He showed me His promise regarding the daily concerns of life: “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. These things referred to food, clothing and other needs (not greeds). At that point, my luxuries were in a rather barren fridge, hanging in an nearly empty closet, and sitting out in the yard in a bullet-shaped silver fuel tank.
At this point, I’d not looked around and noticed there were other people prospering while I was not. Had I done that, I may have been angry at God and needed to read Psalms 37: “Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way... for evildoers shall be cut off; but those who wait on the LORD, they shall inherit the earth.”
Nevertheless, verse 16 of that Psalm was a truth God wanted me to learn: “The little that a righteous person has is better than the riches of many wicked.” I was learning to appreciate the simple necessities. Even though my meager income only allowed $7 a week for groceries, God saw fit to fill my freezer through the generosity of others who knew Him. He showed me I did not need to “be ashamed in the evil time, And in the days of famine I would be satisfied” (Psalms 37:19).
In the years since those tough early days of my Christian walk, I have seldom if ever worried about having enough. God taught that lesson well — and honored His promises. My husband was deeply in debt when we were married but we paid off that debt, by the grace of God. Later, when he became a Christian, God taught Him that if he would trust the Lord and be generous with what God had given, God would continue to meet every need. We have learned that we cannot out-give God. Whatever we do to help out someone in need, God pours in the supply.
Sometimes I have wondered if this abundance will last... and God always takes me back to the lesson. He supplies all our NEEDS, according to His riches. With the Psalmist, I can say, “I have been young, and now am old; Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, Nor his descendants begging bread” (37:25).
The principle of Matthew 6:33 is simple: As His children seek Him (not wealth), and seek His righteousness (not some exalted human goodness but the goodness that comes from a deep relationship with Jesus Christ), He will take care of all our needs (again, not greeds).
The propane tank? Shortly after the bill arrived so did a letter from a woman I had never met. She wanted me to paint a portrait of her dog and cat. Not an unusual request but what she included with her order was very unusual. It has never happened before or since. She sent what she thought would be an appropriate payment — in advance! The amount was $52.50, enough for the pressing needs — the tank rental, and a canvas on which to put the paint!
The propane tank rental was due but I didn’t have the $50 necessary to avert repossession. I had been struggling to earn a living sewing and selling wildlife paintings so I could stay home to support my two small children. It was in this narrow place, a new Christian alone against threatening poverty, that God taught me a lesson I’ve never forgotten.
Prior to the propane tank crisis, I had realized my sinfulness and came to the Lord in humiliation. Mortified by some of the things I had done, I had a deep desire to please Him but I knew I could not earn eternal life — that is a gift. Grateful for it, along with the forgiveness He offered, I sought to become all He wanted and intended I should be.
He showed me His promise regarding the daily concerns of life: “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. These things referred to food, clothing and other needs (not greeds). At that point, my luxuries were in a rather barren fridge, hanging in an nearly empty closet, and sitting out in the yard in a bullet-shaped silver fuel tank.
At this point, I’d not looked around and noticed there were other people prospering while I was not. Had I done that, I may have been angry at God and needed to read Psalms 37: “Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way... for evildoers shall be cut off; but those who wait on the LORD, they shall inherit the earth.”
Nevertheless, verse 16 of that Psalm was a truth God wanted me to learn: “The little that a righteous person has is better than the riches of many wicked.” I was learning to appreciate the simple necessities. Even though my meager income only allowed $7 a week for groceries, God saw fit to fill my freezer through the generosity of others who knew Him. He showed me I did not need to “be ashamed in the evil time, And in the days of famine I would be satisfied” (Psalms 37:19).
In the years since those tough early days of my Christian walk, I have seldom if ever worried about having enough. God taught that lesson well — and honored His promises. My husband was deeply in debt when we were married but we paid off that debt, by the grace of God. Later, when he became a Christian, God taught Him that if he would trust the Lord and be generous with what God had given, God would continue to meet every need. We have learned that we cannot out-give God. Whatever we do to help out someone in need, God pours in the supply.
Sometimes I have wondered if this abundance will last... and God always takes me back to the lesson. He supplies all our NEEDS, according to His riches. With the Psalmist, I can say, “I have been young, and now am old; Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, Nor his descendants begging bread” (37:25).
The principle of Matthew 6:33 is simple: As His children seek Him (not wealth), and seek His righteousness (not some exalted human goodness but the goodness that comes from a deep relationship with Jesus Christ), He will take care of all our needs (again, not greeds).
The propane tank? Shortly after the bill arrived so did a letter from a woman I had never met. She wanted me to paint a portrait of her dog and cat. Not an unusual request but what she included with her order was very unusual. It has never happened before or since. She sent what she thought would be an appropriate payment — in advance! The amount was $52.50, enough for the pressing needs — the tank rental, and a canvas on which to put the paint!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)