Ludicrous Trading

There was a day when protecting your hard earned money meant investigating before investing and beware of pickpockets. It seems that is the least of our worries today. No matter which way one turns, someone is standing there devising a way to get you to simply hand over your hard earned money to them, and if you’re not careful, you’re going to receive just about nothing in exchange. Today, one has to listen and read very carefully to everything presented to them and scrutinize everything that comes in the mail. To pick a man’s wallet or snatch a woman’s purse isn’t enough anymore. People are out there that simply want to steal your whole life. Dubbed “identity theft”, thieves today can literally put you into bankruptcy without you even knowing it, until it happens. By gaining access to bank account numbers or social security numbers, complete strangers can literally steal you blind. So, be careful about giving up your personal information over the phone, in the mail or on the Internet. Be sure you know whom you’re dealing with and read carefully the contract of what you are to receive for your money. Don’t blindly give up everything you have for something you probably don’t need anyway. Beware of the one who is trying to get you to open your wallet; they’re only after your money. And always remember what your mother tried to teach you: “If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.” The world is not your best partner.
A young man shopping in a supermarket noticed a sweet looking little old lady staring at him every time he turned a corner. Then he found her in line ahead of him at the checkout counter. “I hope I haven’t made you feel ill at ease”, she said. “It’s just that you look so much like my late son…” “Don’t worry about it”, the man said. “You’re very understanding,” she noted. Then she hesitated and sheepishly asked, “I know it’s silly, but it would sure mean a lot to me if you would just call out ‘Goodbye, Mom” as I leave the store.” “Sure”, he shrugged. So as she was walking out of the store, the lady turned back and waved, whereupon the young man, returning her wave, called out, “Good-bye, Mom!” Pleased that he’d brought a little sunshine into someone’s day, he turned back to the cashier. “That comes to $121.85”, she said. “For a loaf of bread and a gallon of milk?” he yelped. “Your mother said you’d be paying for her things too!”
[Hebrews 12: 14-29] You remember the story (Genesis 25: 27-34) – Esau, the outdoorsman, came in from the field and was very hungry. His brother, Jacob, had cooked a container of lentil stew and had it there when Esau arrived. Esau claimed he was starving to death and about to die. Jacob, a shrewd individual, knew his brother as a profane, worldly man. Jacob demanded Esau’s birthright (the right to a double share of his fathers possessions) for a bowl of soup. This was indeed a ludicrous trade, but Esau took it. I’ve heard many times over the years, “The church only wants your money”, and I have to say that trading eternal life with God for a short-term life of pleasure, spending your money as you please, is ludicrous. I’m not going to try and pull the wool over you eyes. The church is people, and people and money don’t always mix well, but that doesn’t make the church non-functional. The purpose of the church is to bring the lost sinner to Christ that he may be saved and gain the inheritance promised by God of everlasting life in His presence. Do you really want to trade heaven for the world?