Do you know what word this
definition fits: “a dishonest way to make money by deceiving people”?
I checked my phone messages last
night after a long day away and heard this one: “The IRS has filed a lawsuit
against you. Call xxx-xxx-xxxx to assure that you are not prosecuted for
failing to respond.” I googled the phone number and learned that it was
connected with a scam. The invention of telephones, computers, the Internet,
and just about any kind of technology is always accompanied by people (sometimes
dumb and sometimes clever) who use it to try to steal from unsuspecting people
who do not know any better. Sooner or later most of us become the object of
someone’s attempt to scam us.
The word “scam” is both a noun and a
verb, just like the relatively new word “google”. If you ever are a victim of a
scam, you feel foolish and gullible. Usually you don’t want anyone to know that
you were so naïve. The problem is that scammers can be quite sophisticated and
convincing (think Bernie Maddoff, who cheated 4800+ clients out of some 64
billion dollars and was sentenced six years ago to 150 years in prison). They
can look good and sound good, but they are false. They do not have your
well-being in mind. They only have their interests in mind, and they do not
care if you lose anything or everything. Con artists like this come in many
shapes and sizes, so the average person must practice vigilance and care in
order to protect themselves.
There is a spiritual lesson in this,
for Christians need to practice vigilance as well. When the Apostle Paul was
traveling on his second missionary journey, his team was called into Macedonia
to bring the good news. After stopping in Philippi and Thessalonica, there is a
brief passage in the book of Acts that describes his next stop. It was the small
city of Berea. As he writes about what happened there, Luke describes the
Bereans as having noble character who didn’t just “swallow” the message Paul
was bringing. They examined the Scriptures daily to see if what Paul was saying
was true. The “Scriptures” referred to here would have been what we know as the
Old Testament. They had a foundation of truth in these Scriptures, and they
tested anything that came their way by the truth of them. This is still an
excellent practice for the Church today. In a world filled with so many
spiritual messages, the foundation of God’s Word helps us to root out the
spiritual scammers who are pursuing gain (ideas of the mind, power and control
of others, financial, etc.) at the expense of others.
We must be like the Bereans, with
noble character pursuing the truth. Jesus told His disciples that they would
minister as sheep among wolves. To survive they would need the innocence and
purity of doves and the cleverness of serpents. May God’s Word always be our
foundation, and may He deliver us from all that is false in our world today.
Acts 17:10-12 (NIV) 10 As soon as it was night, the brothers sent
Paul and Silas away to Berea. On arriving there, they went to the Jewish
synagogue. 11 Now the Bereans were of more noble
character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great
eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was
true. 12 Many of the Jews believed, as did also a
number of prominent Greek women and many Greek men.
2 Timothy 3:16-17
(NIV) 16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for
teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so
that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
PRAYER: Father, your Word is my guide. Fill my mind
with wisdom and understanding as I read the Scriptures. Shape my life with them,
to your glory. Protect me and my church from those who seek to harm us in any
way. Keep us close to Jesus. In His name, AMEN.”
Jesus
Christ is Lord!
Scott
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