Genuine

I was walking into the mall the other day and a man walked up to me out of the blue.  He said “I have something for you” and he reached into his pocket and pulled out a crisp $100 bill.  I WAS ECSTATIC!!!  That had never happened to me before, and I couldn’t wait to tell Diana about it!!!

Instead of calling her, I went straight into Belk’s and went to pair of really nice shoes that Diana has on her watch list.  Really nice shoes.  The kind she would never buy for herself, because she has spent her lifetime putting her husband and children before her, and she struggles to spend a dime on herself.

I proudly take the shoes to the register and the cashier tells me the total, and it will almost wipe-out my “gift” from the man at the door.  But that’s okay .. She deserves it.  I hand the bill over to the cashier, and she takes out a little pen.  Then she shyly steps over to a phone and calls someone in low tones.  She asks me to be patient, because there is a little issue she needs to resolve.  Two minutes later, I find myself explaining to a store manager and security guard how I obtained the COUNTERFEIT $100.00 bill that I tried to use in my purchase!!!!  They look at me like I am crazy.  And, I hear someone across the room say “Isn’t that the preacher at Ebenezer?!”   GREAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Okay.  That didn’t really happen.  And most of those who know me knew that from the beginning, because my walking into the mall alone would surely be a sign of the apocalypse.  But, how embarrassing would that have been???]

If only I had made sure that bill was genuine before I went through all of that!!!  If only I had really thought this through and realized that in my 52 years on this Big Blue Marble, no stranger has EVER given me $100.00 for no reason!!  If only I had not let the thrill of free money cloud my logical mind!!!

Every day, we need to be aware that there are counterfeits all around us.  Temptations.  False idols.  Even people who seem to be the most genuine we could imagine, and yet they operate with subterranean agendas.  HOW CAN WE GUARD AGAINST THESE??

The only way to guard against those false things is to KNOW THE TRUTH.  To be in sync with the truth.  In John 14:6, Jesus said “I am the way, and the truth, and the life…”  If you walk with the TRUTH, and you listen to the Holy Spirit that He promised, you will be able to sense when things are not quite right.  To see those counterfeits before they cause you embarrassment and harm.

Be careful, my friends.  There are all kinds of hazards and wolves in this world.  KNOW THE TRUTH!!