LightGrams
June 27, 2019
Volume 23, Number 23
Are piggy banks as popular as they once were? Those cute little pigs, made of glass or ceramic, had a slot in the top of their backs into which pennies, nickels, and dimes were dropped. Many a child has been taught the virtue of savings and thrift with such banks. We also learned that in order to get to the money, the bank has to be broken!
Two men in Okaloosa County, Florida recently found something better than a piggy bank – an ATM machine. Surely, they reasoned, there must be lots of cash inside. But how to get into such an armored device? One of them had the answer: a blow torch!
Security cameras show one of the men operating the torch while the other kept watch while holding a crowbar. But instead of cracking open the ATM, the would-be thief actually sealed the money machine shut. The men were seen walking away with not a dime of loot for their trouble.
The wise man spoke long ago about such situations: “Good understanding gains favor, but the way of the unfaithful is hard. Every prudent man acts with knowledge, but a fool lays open his folly” (Proverbs 13:15,16). No, the culprits have not yet been identified, but their folly has been laid open to many people around the world.
On a more serious note Jesus spoke of the danger of trusting people to help you “break open” the treasures of heaven. In rebuking religious leaders of His day Jesus said this: “But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; for you neither go in yourselves, not do you allow those who are entering to go in” (Matthew 23:13).
The Pharisees seemed to be the most holy people on earth in their day. Some people paid attention to them instead of checking their message against Scripture. As a result many were turned away from Jesus – the Savior of mankind!
John tells us how close some came to becoming Jesus’ disciples: “Nevertheless even among the rulers many believed in [Jesus], but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God” (John 12:42,43). So close, but so far away!
There is a right way to obtain money from an ATM machine; all other ways will put your happiness farther down the road than you can imagine. Similarly, the right way to receive heaven’s treasures is found by hearing God’s will as revealed in His word. But some “will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables” (2 Timothy 4:3,4).
God wants to share His treasures with all of us, but we have to do things His way.
Come to the light God offers! Study His word, the Bible. Worship Him in spirit and truth (John 4:24). Get in touch with us if you’d like to discuss these ideas further.
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Copyright, 2019, Timothy D. Hall. All scripture quotations, unless otherwise noted, are from the New King James Version (Copyright, 1990, Thomas Nelson, Inc.).
“LightGrams” is produced by the Central Church of Christ, 2722 Oakland Avenue, Johnson City, Tennessee, 37601, and is written by Tim Hall, minister. It is sent free of charge every Thursday to all who request it. To subscribe or to receive more information, write to “Tim@GraceMine.org” (our E-mail address), to the U.S. mail address above, or call (423) 282-1571.
Permission to reproduce and/or use the messages for noncommercial purposes is freely granted provided the messages are not altered.