As I was working on my article, I got a scam phone call. It was a man with a foreign accent who was telling me I won the Publisher’s Clearing House Sweepstakes. He promised me prizes of money, a car, gas, etc., and all I had to do was be home today and pay the federal agent, “Mr. Simpson,” $750.00, which would be paid to the Federal Government of the U.S., giving me a free warranty for the car. He said cash would be better than a check, and two Federal Agents would come to my home today to pick up the money and give me an American God Eagle Stamp of certification and a receipt.
Knowing this was a scam, I began interrogating the man. I asked him a lot of questions, telling him that I was not comfortable and that I was concerned for my safety so I was going to call the police. His response was that he was a Christian and this was legitimate. Jesus Christ was his Lord and savior. Didn’t I have faith in Jesus Christ? I then became angry! This man was using Christianity as a way to get people to give him money. At that moment, I wanted to jump through that phone!
When I hung up, I thought about all the people who would fall for this scam … the older, naive and desperate people who would believe this scam, especially since the man was a “good Christian.” I felt a little like Paul when he was speaking to the church in Corinth: “These people are false apostles. They have fooled you by disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. But I am not surprised! Even Satan can disguise himself as an angel of light. So it is no wonder his servants can also do it by pretending to be godly ministers. In the end they will get every bit of punishment their wicked deeds deserve.” 2 Cor. 11:12-15
As I was re-telling the story to my husband, his response was: “Well, you know, many people advertise or tell others that they are Christian and don’t do business like a Christian.” That made me think of a man I’ll call “Jerry” with whom I did business in the 80’s. Jerry did some work for one of my clients and I got to know him quite well. He professed to be a Christian and went to church. Jerry asked me to do some work for him, for which he didn’t pay. He told me again and again that he would but never paid. Then, one day, he just disappeared. I have since heard many similar stories from colleagues and friends. There is an expectation of good character when we profess we are Christians. We expect that we will act like Christ, be fair and have ethics and integrity.A tall order to be sure.
The current economic situation has left many people desperate for answers. Bank robberies are at an all-time high. In fact, the small town that I came from had a bank robbery just last week. David wrote in Psalms: “Don’t try to get rich by extortion or robbery. And if your wealth increases, don’t make it the center of your life.” It is tempting to judge people like this scam artist who called me. We may even think that such people are really getting ahead in life. But, on God’s scales, these people are “lighter than a puff of air.” What, then, can tilt the scales when God weighs in? Trusting God and recognizing that “Power, O God, belongs to you; unfailing love, O Lord is yours. Surely you will judge all people according to what they have done.” Psalm 62:11-12
0 comments:
Post a Comment