Like many of us our friend has a second checking account to use on special occasions. Normally it sits dormant. And so it is she has received notification from her bank that they charged her fifty dollars as an inactivity fee. The account only contained eleven dollars. This is so ludicrous I am tempted to tell you the name of the bank. It is very well known.
The whole experience reminded me of other times when we have been swindled. Lucifer is the universe’s biggest swindler. He promised his fellow angels he could run the universe better than God. One third of them believed him and lost their place in heaven. (See Revelation 12:7) He promised Eve she would be like God if she would eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. She lost her Eden home. (See Genesis 2) He told Jesus he would give him the whole world if Jesus would only kneel before him. (See Luke 4) Fortunately for all of us the ruse did not work. Jesus was able to resist the lie.
This is what Lucifer does. He preys upon us by promising us good times and good things if we will cheat just a little bit here and there or tell a small lie here or there. He tells us the commandments are confining and real freedom comes to those smart enough to put them aside. Paul had it figured out. In Romans 6:23 he tells us the wages of sin are death. The fact is Lucifer is a lying swindler who has already lost his happiness and he cannot bear it to see us happy.
How grand it is to read the rest of Romans 6:23. It goes like this, “The gift of God is eternal life.” That is no swindle!
Written by Roger Bothwell on January 8, 2010
Spring of Life Ministry, PO Box 124, St. Helena, CA 94574
Rogerbothwell.org