Don't Be A Fool

In ancient China people desired security from the barbaric hordes to the north, so they built what we know as “The Great Wall of China”. It was so high and thick the Chinese thought no one could break through it. But, during the first 100 years of the wall’s existence, China was invaded three times! Not once did the hordes break down the wall or climb over the top. They found another way to get across. Each time, the enemy bribed the gatekeeper and then marched right through the gates. The Chinese were so busy relying on the walls of stone that they forgot to teach their children integrity.

Most of us are astonished at the amounts of money earned by professional athletes. Despite making millions of dollars, many of these famous athletes end up declaring bankruptcy. A 2009 Sports Illustrated documentary concluded that as many as 78 percent of NFL players face financial difficulties within two years of retirement. NBA statistics were as high as 60 percent. While every case was different, bad financial investments certainly played a part. Besides his dog-fighting conviction, Michael Vick lost 6 million dollars in car rental, real estate, and wine shop investments. John Elway had his agent illegally invest 15 million dollars in a Ponzi scheme. Sheryl Swoopes, great women’s basketball player, blew through her 50 million dollars via bad investments. Mike Tyson lost 400 million through a divorce and extravagant spending. Jesus warned his audience one day (Luke 12:13-34), “...Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” He illustrated that truth with a prosperous farmer whose bountiful harvest demanded the building of new storage barns. However, the man’s death deprived him of ever using or enjoying what he had. Jesus called anyone who is rich in stuff but poor in their relationship with God “a fool”. Yet today, people will sacrifice their health, family and integrity to “get ahead”. We do this knowing full well that our wealth will be lost through poor investment, national crisis, natural disaster, or death. Let’s focus on what’s really important – treasures laid up in heaven! “...Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (v. 33-34).

[James 1:2-18; 4:7; 1Peter 5:8] Hall of Famer, Hack Wilson, once said of the great Negro League pitcher, Satchel Paige’s pitches, “It starts out like a baseball and when it gets to the plate, it looks like a marble.” You see, the pitcher’s job is to fool the batter and get him to chase pitches so he will make an out. So, the pitcher will throw different pitches, changing location and speed of the ball, among other things, to deceive the batter. The devil is a master deceiver. The apostle Paul warned Christians to be on guard, “...in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes” (2 Corinthians 2:11). Schemes refer to traps used to ensnare one’s prey. Just as a pitcher has many tricks to fool a batter, so the devil has many schemes to fool the righteous man. Chief among them is temptation, but Satan also uses other traps to destroy us like – lies, false doctrine, hypocrisy, apathy, ignorance, discouragement, and procrastination. To be a good hitter, the batter has to have a good eye so he won’t be fooled by the pitcher. We need a good eye, spiritually, so the devil won’t ensnare us in his schemes. Let us pray and study God’s Word daily so Satan won’t get us “out” in the game of life. Be safe in Jesus.