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Does Greed Drive You?
© 2014
by
Stephen A. Peterson
It seems the number of notices that a cash prize has been won has increased over the last 5 years. My wife and I received a certified letter that we had won a cash prize of $10,000.00. When I called the number given us, I was told that to be eligible for this prize we had to send them a check for $75.00 or pay by money order. I did nothing further as I believed it was not authentic.
Another letter came roughly 7 weeks later with a legitimate looking check for $25,000.00. The instructions were to deposit the check into either a checking or saving account, send $2500.00 through Western Union to a location in England, then keep the remaining $22,500.00 as profit for my efforts.
Rather than immediately depositing the check into my account, it took it to the bank to have a banker check its authenticity. The banker was unable to discern its authenticity either. She, with check in hand, called the bank that reputedly issued the check. She scanned the instrument sending over to them. The receiving bank indicated the check was fraudulent and never issued by them. I was told most people would have deposited what they thought to be a check into their account only to learn later of their zero balance. I was commended for giving the fraudulent check to the bank. However, I did think about following the instructions.
Reflecting upon this experience, I wondered why I had spent do much time looking into a money oriented scheme. Like many, I was told: “If it seems too good to be true, then it is too good to be true.” But so many, I am told, fall into the traps of scam artist daily. What motivates us? I wanted to believe that we were getting some money honestly and with integrity. But like so many people, they still believe deep in the recesses of their minds that there is easy money, an easy life and free lunches. We just have to be lucky. I had to admit though that I/ we are often times motivated by greed—the thought of getting something of value for little or nothing.
Over the course of my life, anyway, I have learned that many of us, Christians included, us wrong motivations and methods in our service for Christ. Paul the Apostle wrote to the church in Thessalonica: “Remember brothers, our labor and toil; for laboring night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you.” (1 Thessalonians 2:9).
By the authority of Jesus Christ, Paul was given the privilege to receive the financial support of the church. But not to the point of making anyone suffer or feel beholding to the faithful. To do otherwise is to be unworthy of support. When receiving instant money schemes, we might look a little closer at drives those who send them to us. This is called discernment, judging.
So we should ask ourselves: “what drives me/us?” Is it God, the love of power, the love of money? Let Christ’s life drive us and we will be wealthy beyond our imagination!!!
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