Daily Jewel

by Pastor Carnell, McAlester, OK

“Ill-Gotten Gain is Really no Gain at All”
"My sons, if sinners entice you, do not give in to them. If they say, 'Come along with us; let's lie in wait for someone’s blood, let's waylay some harmless soul....we will get all sorts of valuable things and fill our houses with plunder....".my son, do not go along with them, do not set foot on their paths..." – Proverbs 1:10 –11, 13

This passage reminds me of that proverbial "The Pot of Gold at the end of the Rainbow!" We all know there is nothing there but will search nonetheless just to make sure. Our televisions are being plastered with these so-called, infomercials. "Be your own boss." "Increase Your Portfolio!" "You too, can be a millionaire!" “Make money from home by working only a few hours a month!” There is always something in it for us if we would just trust and sign our name on the dotted line.
When I was in college I was duped into sending someone that I did not know $50 as a part of a chain letter scheme. All I had to do was to sign up three other guys to send $50 to the person at the top of the list, then they were to sign up three other people and by the time my name got to the top of the list I would make hundreds if not thousands of dollars. Yeah, right! In my naivety I never once considered the possibility that this was wrong or unethical...all I saw was the money that I could make!! The problem that I ran into was that I could not get anyone to keep the chain going so my name never made it to the top. Ah, yes, the allure of “quick riches!”

I certainly learned a great lesson through that and it was this: the things of this life are to be earned by hard and honest labor. Any gain that we think we might receive by unethical or immoral means, whether it is actual wealth or maybe the "respect" in the eyes of those around us, will never last!
My “lesson-learned” has served me well through the years as I have been approached on several occasions with much the same sales-pitch – here’s a way to make some quick easy money. Investing little with the hope of getting a whole lot back. Recent events in our nation and the many that lost millions of dollars as a result of Bernard Madoff’s “Ponzi” scheme show that even the used to be rich and famous are not exempt from this mind-set.
Have you ever found yourself involved in something that you felt very uncomfortable with? Why do you suppose that is? Was it because you felt inadequate in your abilities or was it because you were uncertain that the activity was not exactly moral or even legal? If you ever feel uncomfortable along these lines perhaps it is the Holy Spirit giving you a warning signal to Stay Away! Paul said, "Everything is permissible for me-but not everything is beneficial." (1st Corinthians 6:12)
"Not all that glitters is gold" someone once said. As this verse might indicate, not all "plunder" is for our benefit, or God ordained! Remember Achan? (Joshua 7) God had given the Israelites a great victory at Jericho but had warned them not to take any of the “plunder.” It was to be destroyed, but Achan did not heed the message. As a result his family and the families of 36 others (those killed in the ensuing battle at Ai) suffered grief and loss. Had he only been patient and relied upon God—Achan would have been richly rewarded further down the line!
I think the key here is that of trust. Trust in the One who gave you life to take care of that life. He knows you…how you are made! He knows what you need and how you need it…and why! Trust Him to take of you today…and then again tomorrow.
Pastor J. T. Carnell.