Tonight, on my way home from my mom's house, I stopped at a convenience store for a little snack with my little girl. And as I approached the building from the parking space, I looked down and found something unusual.
A folded $100 bill. I reached down, scooped it up and put it in my pocket, all the while wondering why such great fortune had been bestowed upon me. No one was in the immediate area, so there was certainly no one who could claim it, right? Then my mind drifted into thoughts of how much easier it will be to pay bills this month. As I opened the door to the store, I went up to the cashier immediately, pulled the $100 bill from my pocket and began to explain to him how someone had dropped this outside and may be back to claim it. And as I went to hand him the money, I unfolded it and found it to be a fake. The "$100 bill" was actually an advertisement cleverly placed on my path. I felt embarrassed that I'd not checked this before explaining the story and attempting to hand it to the clerk. But I learned two lessons from this incident tonight: I must have grown in grace at some point, because I overcame the temptation to keep the money. No one would have ever known. And my daughter got a great lesson in doing the right thing. If the money had been real and if I never would have said anything to anyone, I would have felt guilty. What if the person who dropped it needed it more than I do? And had I not said anything and learned the bill was fake when I got home, I would have felt guilty for not even attempting to find the rightful owner before learning it was a forgery. Instead, doing the right thing kept me from guilt. Guilt is not from God. It is what Satan wants you to feel after you've committed a sin. Tonight, I said no to temptation and did the right thing. Consequently, Satan's guilt trip has no power over me tonight. I am free from its bonds. Think of how many more areas of our lives would be guilt-free if we only obeyed the Lord and His instructions for our lives. I'd like to expand upon this topic in a future post. As this immature Christian grows in faith, God's word becomes clearer and clearer. Merry Christmas everyone. Remember, Christ's second coming is as sure as His first.
A folded $100 bill. I reached down, scooped it up and put it in my pocket, all the while wondering why such great fortune had been bestowed upon me. No one was in the immediate area, so there was certainly no one who could claim it, right? Then my mind drifted into thoughts of how much easier it will be to pay bills this month. As I opened the door to the store, I went up to the cashier immediately, pulled the $100 bill from my pocket and began to explain to him how someone had dropped this outside and may be back to claim it. And as I went to hand him the money, I unfolded it and found it to be a fake. The "$100 bill" was actually an advertisement cleverly placed on my path. I felt embarrassed that I'd not checked this before explaining the story and attempting to hand it to the clerk. But I learned two lessons from this incident tonight: I must have grown in grace at some point, because I overcame the temptation to keep the money. No one would have ever known. And my daughter got a great lesson in doing the right thing. If the money had been real and if I never would have said anything to anyone, I would have felt guilty. What if the person who dropped it needed it more than I do? And had I not said anything and learned the bill was fake when I got home, I would have felt guilty for not even attempting to find the rightful owner before learning it was a forgery. Instead, doing the right thing kept me from guilt. Guilt is not from God. It is what Satan wants you to feel after you've committed a sin. Tonight, I said no to temptation and did the right thing. Consequently, Satan's guilt trip has no power over me tonight. I am free from its bonds. Think of how many more areas of our lives would be guilt-free if we only obeyed the Lord and His instructions for our lives. I'd like to expand upon this topic in a future post. As this immature Christian grows in faith, God's word becomes clearer and clearer. Merry Christmas everyone. Remember, Christ's second coming is as sure as His first.
