Money! In the Field

When my grand children were young I would tell them stories and in those stories I would give them a way to answer with an A answer or a B answer. Let me explain. I would say "you are out playing in this field and you saw a bag, you ran over to it and opened it up and it was full of money what would you do? A-would you tell your Mom & Dad or B- would you hide it and spend it yourself? How would you answer that? In a case like this I would say "it's my lucky day and hide the money and spend it myself. Not on wrong things mind you but on good things. Why I would give some to the poor, battered children, the Church, children's hospitals and a host of other worthy causes. You know like you hear people say they only play the lottery for the children! I have yet to hear of any lottery winner giving anything to the children. But to read how they went broke after a few years. So let's say I choose to hide the money and spend it myself. Now finding the money wasn't wrong; but it wasn't mine. If it's right why do I have to hide it? Now let's say I go in to a store and spend some of the money and the serial numbers come up and the police are called and I am taken in for questioning. So I tell them what has happened then they say we want you to look at something. They then show me a video tape of the money being taken and the person taking it. The body of the person taking the money looks like mine even his face except for the mask looks like me. Guess what? I may be going to jail for a long time for something I didn't do!

That is just a story I made up but what about this. James 4:17
Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin. Now I am sure if we found a bag of money in a field I would hope we would do the right thing. But what about when we know to do right or good and we don't do it? James says it is sin! So if I know something is right and I hide it; what is that?

Genesis 3:8
And they (Adam & Eve) heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden.

Genesis 3:10
And he (Adam) said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself. If it's not wrong don't hide! Here is what is interesting; we may think we are hiding it but Psalms 69:5
O God, thou knowest my foolishness; and my sins are not hid from thee. We battle with it every day it's called sin; small, little, big, large it really doesn't matter it is sin and we all need help with it. 1John 1:8
If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

1John 1:9
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

1John 1:10
If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

Every sin has its origin in your heart.

Small compromises lead to great disasters.

Our sinful habit hurts those who follow us.

We lose our freedom of choice after we have chosen our actions. The consequences of our actions are now up to God.

God balances guilt with blame. Accept the blame for our actions and God, through our confession and forgiveness will eliminate the guilt.

 

If you were to find the money in the field don't hide it! For God knows where it's at!